


My Only: Five times Spock used their bond to communicate, and the one time Kirk did

by cutiebiz



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Romance, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-07 04:38:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 111,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6785545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutiebiz/pseuds/cutiebiz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time that it happened, James Kirk was on the bridge after completing a mission. They had to run one last errand before their shift could finally end and he could get some sleep. </p><p>Or...maybe not....<br/>For updates on series progress:<br/><a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cutiebiz">Series updates</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bridge

**Author's Note:**

> First Spirk fic ever! I hope you enjoy!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time that Spock used their bond to communicate was on the bridge....

 

The first time that it happened, James Kirk was on the bridge after completing a mission. They had to run one last errand before their shift could finally end and he could get some sleep.

 

 _Or...maybe not...._

He thought as he glanced over at his first officer who was scribbling something on a PADD, tying up the last details of their now completed mission from Starfleet.

Spock's eyes flickered up from what he was doing, catching the Captain's gaze. A twinge of his upturned eyebrow let Kirk know that the sentiment had been felt through their newly forged bond.

Well not really new...it had always been slowly materializing between them from the moment that they had met when he had replaced Captain Pike. Spock had completed their bond and they had consummated it in the privacy of their now shared quarters. And now it was _official_...ceremony sealed and Vulcan approved...an official bond.

"Jim, get it together will ya?" McCoy's voice pierced the little sappy bubble that had been surrounding Kirk's thoughts while Spock diverted his attention to another science officer who had approached him.

McCoy was staring at Jim, obviously annoyed. He had been in the middle of explaining the details of their little errand on Marder V, which hung in their viewscreen like a pale white pearl, when Jim and Spock had decided to have another one of their "moments."

"Sorry, I'm listening Bones. I'm just a little tired. Please continue," he said politely, trying to focus on what the good doctor was telling him.

"Tired my ass," McCoy grumbled before continuing. "I'll need to beam down along with some of my staff so I can show the medical team down there how to properly use the new equipment. We shouldn't be down there for more than a few hours...."

Suddenly, Kirk felt his body becoming hot, not in an unpleasant way...just...warm...like he needed to remove some of his clo-

Jim turned and glared at Spock suspiciously. Said Vulcan was busy looking over something on the science officer's PADD.

"Are you listening?"

"Yes. Assemble your people, and I'll have you beamed down."

"I'll send you my list."

"I'll have the equipment sent to the planet's surface."

Bones nodded and made his way out. He heard the door slide shut behind the doctor as he stared at the beautiful white planet. He tugged a little at the neck of his shirt trying to relieve some of the heat, turning to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, contact Marder V and inform them that we are sending down their new medical equipment but not to handle it until Dr. McCoy and his party arrive."

"Aye, sir."

Kirk fought the exhaustion and accepted a PADD that had been handed to him for signing. As he looked over the contents, his body suddenly felt warm and pleasantly tender, the fabric of his undershirt against his skin creating a stimulating sensation against his nipples. An overwhelming sensuality overcame him and he could feel his cock starting to fill in his uniform pants. He was suddenly very grateful that he was sitting down. He signed his name and handed the PADD back to his crewman, trying to look as calm and collected as he could whilst he felt his body yearning to be touched. He waited for the crewman to leave before he shot another glare at Spock who was watching him with heat in his eyes. Jim couldn't wait to get a better hold of his control over the bond so he could torture his First with a big dose of his own medicine. But he wasn't complaining. The waves of sexual energy brushing through him and inside of him like warm ripples of water were intoxicating and relaxing, like he was having a hot bath. In a few more minutes he knew Spock would be able to take him in any way that he felt fit...which was obviously Spock's plan...or so he hoped.

"Mr. Spock, would you accompany me for debriefing?"

Spock nodded, handing back the science officer's PADD and heading to the Turbolift. 

"Mr. Scott you have the conn. Please arrange for the equipment to be sent to Marder V."

"Aye, sir."

Kirk nodded and joined Spock in the Turbolift.

The Vulcan had him pinned to the wall the moment the doors had finished sliding shut, one hand on either side of Kirk, his lips so close to his ear, Kirk could hear Spock's breathing that he was struggling to keep steady. Kirk wanted to melt into his Vulcan right there...wanted to take him in his arms, bury himself in that alien warmth and surround himself in his bondmate's scent. A gentle pushing in the back of his mind informed the human that Spock wanted him to wait.

"I am required report to the lab with the new information we have acquired from our latest completed mission. This will take me exactly 12 minutes and 24 seconds. It will take me 4 minutes and 13 seconds to arrive from the main lab to our quarters."

Spock's words brushed against Kirk's ear and he could feel his cock straining painfully against his pants, his body and mind screaming for his lover.

"In this time, you will return to our quarters and divest yourself of every article of clothing that now occupies your person and wait for me."

Kirk nodded adamantly, fighting the urge to "divest himself" of his clothing right there in the Turbolift.

"You are not to touch yourself before I arrive, nor will you do anything else to initiate release. That is _my_ pleasure that you will not deny me."

The words were spoken with a tenderness reserved only for his lover.

Spock pulled back so that his dark eyes were boring into Kirk's hazel and suddenly pleasure rolled through Kirk, making him shiver. "I will know if you do not comply with my demands."

Spock stepped away from his Captain, putting his hands behind his back, his shoulders squaring as he faced the doors. Kirk had two seconds to push himself from the wall and attempt to make himself look unaffected before the doors swished open, revealing the halls of E Deck.

Kirk nodded to his tall, cool Vulcan before stepping out and heading to their quarters. He was relieved to find that there was hardly anyone in the hallways as he bee lined for their quarters. After he entered, he pulled both shirts over his head, enjoying the heat of their room. Spock kept the place at a rather high temperature which suited Jim, who had a penchant for warm weather anyway. He sat on the bed and pulled off his boots and was in the middle of kicking off his pants when he felt the roll of pleasure again, this time greater than the last, causing him to fall back on the bed and moan. Panting he finished removing his pants and underwear and flicked off his socks. Though the lights were only at 50% he was annoyed by the sight of only _his_ clothing lying in various places on their otherwise clean floor, and was considering getting up to tidy when another wave of pleasure crashed over his body, and he knew that Spock was somewhere filling out a science report and sending him this intense feeling at the same time.

_My man can multitask!_

He fell back on the bed, arching his back as goosebumps covered his body, making his nipples into hard nubs. It felt like he was already being touched. He felt the warmth deep inside of him, the delicious sensation of Spock's attention on their bond making him clutch the covers to keep from touching himself, his dick jutting hard from his body, swollen with need and leaking pre cum. The soft tissue around his opening also became delightfully sensitive as his body seemed to be doing whatever it could to prepare itself for the arrival of his mate. Kirk moaned as another flicker of loving desire from his bondmate flickered through him, telling him to be patient, telling him that he was on his way. Kirk kicked himself internally for not having set some kind of timer.

After what felt like hours, Kirk heard the swish of the doors opening to their quarters and then swish shut. Jim sat up in their bed as Spock appeared in their bed chamber half a second later, his hands behind his back, his eyes taking in his lover's state with obvious approval. Kirk felt the caress of his lover's eyes over his body and he could feel himself blushing. Spock's eyes surveyed the mess of clothes on the floor and Kirk grinned a little self consciously.

"I...um...was a little too distracted to-"

But Spock had pushed Kirk back onto the bed, covering his naked body with his own clothed one, cradling Kirk's face in one hand and kissing him hungrily.

"A most logical decision, T'hy'la," Spock whispered against Jim's lips. "As you must have known that, as with everything between us now, my garments would be joining yours."

"Speaking of which, I can't help but notice that you're still clothed, Mr. Spock," the human responded, tugging at Spock's science blue's impatiently.

Spock's eyes lit up with that dark alien fire that made Jim wonder, for the millionth time since their relationship began, how the Hell he had gotten so lucky. His First Officer pulled away and pulled both shirts off slowly and deliberately, exposing his well defined muscles like a curtain rising.

"For the love of God, Spock, I am not going to survive this if you keep up this pace."

Spock tossed the shirts on the floor along with Jim's, a tiny smile on his lips making it perfectly clear that he was fine with this pace. He knelt down over his Captain, his pants still on and gave him a swift kiss on the lips.

"I am not convinced that my pace is life threatening," Spock teased, rubbing his clothed erection against Kirk's naked one. Kirk's mouth dropped open and he let out a sigh. His body felt like it was on fire, the need licking at his insides like a sexual inferno.

"No, no. If you don't take me right now, I will surely to die."

"I can't have that," Spock growled.

"No yoummm...."

His Vulcan was kissing him again, slowly fanning the fires within him.

Spock kissed down his neck, softly caressing his skin with his lips, and worked his way down Jim's naked body, placing loving kisses along the way, stopping to rub a hot wet tongue over his lover's nipple.

Jim moaned causing Spock to give him even more loving attention, sucking the nub and running his fingers down Jim's body, soaking up the pleasure he felt emanating from his skin. He moved down, holding Jim's body in place with his strong hands as his lips continued their journey down his lover's body until he reached Jim's hard cock. He licked the base slowly, wringing a tortured moan from the human, his tongue brushing the pre cum from the head.

"Oh, God, Spock!" Kirk moaned. "You're killing me!"

Spock took down his bondmate's member, enveloping it in that hot wet mouth that Jim had fantasized about for years before their relationship had begun. Now that Kirk had experienced that mouth, he fantasized about it even more. The Vulcan pulled up and sucked on the head a little before pulling off completely, causing his human to make an impatient sound that made Spock's cock even harder.

He loved how impatient Jim was...loved how his temperament was like a low fire...always warm, always alive, and always quick to burn and consume. He brought himself up and kissed Jim slowly and thoroughly on the mouth.

He loved this man. Loved him more as time passed, and Spock let that love pour over their bond, causing Jim's breathing to stutter as his heart ached pleasantly in his chest.

He reached out and worked on Spock's pants, his erection a time bomb ready to explode.

He undid the pants and tugged them down, releasing the long hard dick that was a delightful moss green, thick pre cum at the tip that Jim used to slick up his lover's member. It was the miracle of Vulcan anatomy: their cum acted as a lubricant, and there was nothing sexier to Kirk than the idea of being filled with Spock's fluid before and after lovemaking.

Once his First was sufficiently lubricated, Jim laid on his back, pulling Spock on top of him and wrapping his legs around his hips invitingly. Spock's pants were still caught on his boots around his ankles, but both of them had waited long enough.

Spock offered his fingers to Kirk who licked them, his hazel eyes consuming Spock's as he sucked the digits, covering them with saliva, knowing how much the Vulcan was getting off on this.

Spock watched Jim's tongue, his dick throbbing painfully against his lover's opening, his mouth slightly ajar as he panted. Finally he pulled them away from Jim's mouth and pushed one finger into his bondmate with almost no resistance. He watched Jim's face, pleased that he had been able to properly prepare Jim through their bond. He slipped a second finger inside and the human let out a sinful moan, tilting his head back to expose that perfect throat. Suddenly the wait was too much for the Vulcan. He wanted to join, mind body and soul to his life-mate _now_.

He looked to his husband for approval, which was given in the form of Jim rubbing his ass enticingly against the fingers and moaning.

Spock gently pulled out his digits. He didn't have a chance to prepare himself further before Jim pulled him down, rutting his ass against his hard cock impatiently.  Spock held onto Kirk's hips and lined up, pushing it slowly, Kirk's tight hole swallowing him up while he whimpered. Spock had to stop for a minute to fight the urge to come inside of him right there. He held onto his lover's hips and bent so he could kiss those perfect lips and then began to rock steady thrusts into Kirk's willing and aching body.

Jim moaned and pulled the Vulcan closer, letting his First take full control. Spock held Kirk's hips and adjusted his body just so before pulling out to the head and thrusting deeply into Jim who cried out, his legs tightening their hold around his lover's waist as Spock mercilessly hit his prostate over and over again, his dick swelling with the sheer bliss of it.

"Yes! Spock! Yes!"

Spock, confident in Jim's hold, released his hips and wrapped his arms around him, plundering his mouth with his tongue and plunging hard and sure thrusts into his body. Jim lay beneath him, releasing cries of pleasure into Spock's waiting mouth, the tight, delicious heat of his bondmate surrounding him as Kirk clung to him for dear life.

Jim was loving being so close...but wanting to be closer.

Spock seemed to read his mind as he moved his hands, one of them entwining with the strawberry blonde locks of Kirk's hair, the other going into the familiar meld position.

And then they were one. Kirk never felt more safe, more at peace than when surrounded by the calm whispers of his life mate's thoughts...his feelings and emotions that Spock kept locked away were readily available to Kirk and only Kirk.

_My only....._

Spock's mind whispered.

_My T'hy'la...._

Two more strokes of Spock's hard, hot dick against Jim's prostate and he was coming hard against his own belly, untouched, his arms grasping Spock tightly, his mind clinging to his lover's as he sobbed the Vulcan's name shamelessly.

Spock could feel his bondmate's pleasure explode in his mind, his body convulsing around his cock and suddenly Spock was releasing his Vulcan seed deep inside of Jim's body. He let out a deep moan against Kirk's lips, releasing their meld despite his lover's protests, and kissing his lips with deep tenderness as his cock finished emptying and began to soften.

"I love you, Jim," Spock whispered, brushing soft intimate kisses against Kirk's panting mouth. "My T'hy'la, my love...."

"I love you, Spock...only you Spock...I'm never gonna stop...."

They collapsed in a heap.

Spock pulled out, exhausted, while Kirk was suddenly energetic, as he was wont to get after making love. Spock closed his eyes, his nose in the pillow that smelled like Kirk. He knew that Jim was wide awake, his thoughts buzzing comfortably beside him. It calmed Spock immensely to feel his lover's energy, his busy mind humming with emotions, that low fire always burning. His lips came up in as much of a grin as could be expected from a Vulcan when he realized that the pleasant hum of Jim' s attention was on him.

"Yes, T'hy'la?"

When Kirk said nothing, Spock opened his eyes and looked at the determined, beautiful face. Spock let his eyes linger over the features that he had commited to memory long before he had admitted his uncontrollable and deep seeded feelings for his Captain.

"Why can't I seem to control the bond the same way that you can?"

Spock lifted his eyebrows slightly.

"I am a telepath...it equates to a muscle that requires building and training in order to efficiently apply control or demands upon the bond. You have much less practice, Jim. You mustn't push yourself. We will practice and you will learn."

"But you can hear my thoughts?"

Spock shook his head.

"Only when we're touching, but I can always know what you're feeling and I can always feel your energy. For you to be able to send me direct messages will take some practice, _adun_."

Jim looked adorably annoyed for a moment before slowly nodding and snuggling into Spock's arms which wrapped around him lovingly.

"You'll help me practice?" Jim murmured against Spock's naked chest.

"Of course, T'hy'la," Spock replied against Jim's forehead, stroking his damp hair leisurely, enjoying the soothing presence and closeness.

"We can't fall asleep, my love," Kirk said quietly. "Our shift isn't over, mister, and we still have to debrief when we get McCoy back...."

"We'll debrief...but may we possibly delay the return of our good doctor?"

Kirk grinned, his hazel eyes giving him a playfully chastising look.

"Affirmative," Spock said. "We will return to the bridge...."

Spock held Jim a little more tightly.

"In five minutes."

Jim grinned.

 

To be continued...

 


	2. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time Spock used their bond to communicate was when they were called to the surface of a dark planet....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your support everyone!! This is a REALLY LONG chapter...I don't know if you want me to break it up into several different chapters for you? I don't know what got into me...I'm a whore for good stories to go with my fluff! Please excuse any typos (or tell me where they are so I can fix them). ENJOY!!

The bed creaked in protest as Spock rocked steadily into his open and moaning lover. Jim grasped at his back, trying to find some purchase as the exceptionally strong body of his Vulcan gave him more mind-blowing pleasure than he could ever remember having. He had never been the type to submit to anything or anyone without a reasonable...and sometimes unreasonable fight. Protocol had the habit of irritating him more than anything else, and authority tended to prohibit him in the moments when he needed autonomy the most. This was one of the many reasons why he had desired his own ship: authority was, most of the time, halfway across the universe.

And now it was on his goddamn ship....

The thought had been sitting in Kirk's mind, waiting for him to wake, and when he finally did, it had rushed quietly to the forefront of his mind before he had even had a chance to open his eyes. He had groaned internally at the reminder. Commodore Daniels was hitching a ride on the Enterprise, and so far he was proving to be, in Scotty's words, "a needy, disrespectful git."

He had been riddled with stress and annoyance when suddenly the strong arms that had been encircling him in sleep, pulled him tightly against the strong, hot body laying behind him, hot lips kissed his neck softly and Jim smiled in spite of himself.

"I'm sorry, Spock, did I wake you?" the human murmured, caressing the forearm of his bondmate with his fingertips.

"I wake when you wake, T'hy'la," Spock responded against his skin, as he continued kissing the naked flesh of his human.

"Mmmm..." Jim sighed softly at the touch of his lover, feeling the familiar heat stirring in his groin, the familiar joy in his heart. "So I _did_ wake you."

Spock gently turned Jim's head so that they were eye to eye.

"If you would take my advice, Jim, I would advise that you not place any extra and unnecessary worry upon your already strained mind. I wake when you wake. This is not a complaint, but a privilege that only I possess as your bondmate."

Kirk turned so he was pressed chest to chest with his husband, pressing his now full erection against the equally hard Vulcan one.

Jim looked into those dark brown eyes, getting lost in them as he oftentimes did. His eyes drifted to Spock's lips and he nodded.

"I would also advise," Kirk watched the articulate lips form the words, "that you discipline your mind. Worry upon waking can create a negative impact upon behavior and decision making."

Kirk's eyes went back to his lover's.

"What do you propose I do?"

"Think of something else...something pleasant."

He focused on their meeting flesh and found it remarkably effective, and discovered that pressed against the hot body of his beloved, he couldn't quite remember what it was he had been worrying about to begin with. All trouble had been replaced by need flooding through his veins, Spock adding his own heavy dose of loving desire through the bond.

"Spock...."

The word came out as a tiny plea that was captured by hungry Vulcan lips. Spock's talented tongue coaxed the human's lips open, exploring his mouth, their tongues meeting in deep, messy morning kisses. And when Spock rolled Jim onto his back, covering his body with his own, the human submitted without a fight, and when the Vulcan spread his legs and slowly split his body open with his hard organ, Kirk submitted again, his body, his mouth and his mind opening, allowing his lover entry, letting himself sink into the bliss of their little world that they had created between them. All he could hear were Vulcan endearments being whispered against his lips between lingering kisses and soft moans of pleasure, the soft wet sound of their bodies joining and the protests of the bedsprings. No troubles could be heard in the safety of his bondmate's arms.

Spock tended to his life mate's needs with thorough care and tenderness, wrapping his long slim fingers around Kirk's throbbing cock and working it in time with the slow, hard thrusts. Jim came first, his cries of release muffled by Spock's demanding lips. The Vulcan finished shortly after, filling the human with his seed and collapsing to the side, pulling out gently and cradling the fragile body of his beloved possessively.

Jim felt suddenly far more relaxed yet energized, ready for the day to begin. He stretched, his mind warming Spock's like sunshine.

"Time to get up, mister. We need a shower before we start our shift."

Spock made a noncommittal groan from his comfortable spot, face mostly planted in pillow, arm around Jim's torso.

"We have our very own Commodore to attend to."

Another groan from Spock.

"And I think you've have some kind of project with Bones scheduled-"

A longer, mournful groan emitted from the Vulcan's pillow.

Kirk let out a little chuckle. He loved seeing this side of Spock, when the Vulcan shed himself of his machine like mannerisms so that Jim could see the beautiful soul that lie beneath it.

"Rise and shine, Commander!"

 

*1*

 

They arrived on the bridge, freshly showered, and fed. Kirk frowned when he saw the Commodore sitting in his Captain's chair.

"Oh, Captain! I'm so pleased to see you here! You see, the chairs that you have provided are not nearly as comfortable as I am used to. You really should ask for replacements."

Kirk put on his best smile for his superior and swallowed a retort. He glanced over at Spock who was checking into his station. Spock graced him with the slightest raising of an eyebrow, indicating that, yes he did hear that, and yes, Starfleet had better things to spend its money on.

"I realize that you'll probably be needing your chair back," Commodore Daniels said, giving him a toothy grin.

Kirk nodded, the smile still securely planted on his face.

"You are welcome to use the Captain's ready room; the seats in there are top notch. I'll have a Yeoman sent there to provide you with anything you'd like so you can await your arrival to Milligon 4 comfortably."

"Thank you, Captain, but I'd much rather stay here."

Kirk could feel his smile falter just a little.

"Yes, yes, of course you would," he said under his breath as Commodore Daniels moved from the chair and stood beside it. Kirk could see a grin threatening to spread on Sulu's face as the Helmsman pretended to be checking their coordinates.

"Captain, we're receiving a distress signal from a nearby planet."

Uhura's urgent tone temporarily distracted Kirk from his annoyed musings.

"Specify."

"The signal is coming from the planet Ame," Spock responded. "They are requesting medical assistance."

Kirk nodded and then turned to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, attempt to get further information so we can better assist the Ametians," he pressed a button on the companel. "Bridge to Dr. McCoy. Please report to the Bridge."

He turned back to his First Officer.

"What can you tell me about the Ametians?"

"Humanoid. Peaceful. Part of the United Federation," Spock turned to look at the captain as he continued. "There's really nothing of value on their planet besides food and drink that seems to provide nourishment to only Ametian bodies, so they've been deemed undesirable for some of those other parties who would be interested in conquering. Ame itself is known for heavy rains and storms for most of their 'year.'"

"Captain, I've made a connection with a Dr. Usui. The connection is very poor, but it has been established that this is an extreme emergency."

"Will this take quite long, Captain? I need to be on Milligon 4."

Commodore Daniels's beady black eyes bored into Kirk's, his long horsey face pinched with anxiety.

"Perhaps," he continued, "there is another ship close by that could help these people."

"With all due respect, Commodore Daniels, we are the only ship within range. I'm sure it won't take long, we'll get you to Milligon as soon as we are able."

"I am due to arrive, Captain. I must insist. It is urgent that I be at my destination when planned. I don't want to make this a direct order...."

Kirk nodded as Dr. McCoy stepped off of the Turbolift onto the Bridge.

Kirk sighed. He couldn't disobey a direct order...but he couldn't leave innocent people in a crisis.

"Lieutenant Sulu," he said. "What is our estimated time of arrival to Milligon 4."

"Approximately 13 hours and 22 minutes."

"Which would put us approximately 8 hours and 38 minutes ahead of schedule," Spock's deep voice came from beside him, and Kirk glanced up to catch his Vulcan's eye. His heart made a little leap. He'd never get used to the closeness...never get used to how wonderful it felt to have Spock near him...how incredible it felt to know that he could _have_ him...that he _did_ have him...for good.

"Anyone gonna fill me in?" McCoy grumped, from the other side of his chair.

"We need you and your medical team to beam down and evaluate the situation on Ame. There seems to be some kind of medical emergency. Mr. Spock, you go with him."

Both men turned to look at him, both offering their own version of exasperation on their faces, before heading to the transporter room.

 

 *2*

 

Kirk had made himself comfortable, hoping beyond hopes that they could take care of this thing within the 8 hours that their efficient pace had allowed them. He could feel the strength on the other side of the connection, the solid warmth of Spock's mind that surrounded his mind with consistent peace and security. He wasn't as good at this whole thing as Spock yet. Spock assured him that the Vulcan himself was still learning the mechanics of it, having never been part of a voluntary and consummated bond before. And, as his life mate loved to remind him (and as Jim loved being reminded), they had the rest of their lives to learn.

The Captain was scribbling some notes on a PADD, already beginning their paperwork of their little pit-stop, feeling the tranquil ripple of Spock's cool temperament...the feeling of Spock while he was working and focused. Something pulsed through the bond, disturbing the calm and Kirk stopped what he was doing and looked at the Viewscreen where the almost black planet loomed. Another rippled of distress, and then...nothing.

Spock was gone.

Kirk flung himself out of the Command Chair, uttering a brusque "Mr. Sulu, you have the conn," before strutting to the Turbolift ignoring the Commodore who called after him: "If you're going to be away, I'll be sitting in your chair-"

The doors slid shut and Kirk was alone in the Turbolift, searching his mind for Spock, having no idea how to do it. He was frustrated beyond words by the time the doors slid open on Deck 6. He cursed his inability to use their bond, furious that he wasn't strong enough or smart enough. He strode to the Transporter room just as five shimmering figures rematerialized before him.

_It's taking way too long..._

Jim thought, panicked.

He gathered himself, creating a wall between the self that was in full terror and worry mode and the Captain of the USS Enterprise.

"What happened?

"Cap'n! I was just about to 'com you! How did you-"

"Never mind, Mr. Scott. Tell me what's happening.

"Mr. Spock used his communicator to get in touch with me. I could barely hear 'em, but he told me to beam up the landin' party. Something's wrong, it's taking far too long...."

The shimmers began to take shape and finally the five people rematerialized.

McCoy was holding onto a young Ametian woman who had an arm slung limply around his shoulder to support her. One of McCoy's landing party was carrying a young, thin Ametian man and an older Ametian woman stood with McCoy, speaking frantically in Standard to him.

"Get Nurse Chapel, we need to get these people to sickbay immediately! We had to risk the transporter, there was not time!"

Kirk's eyes hit the 'com, his eyes never leaving the Transporter which now had five more shimmering figures fading into view.

"Nurse Chapel to the Transporter room. We need stretchers and medical personnel."

It was taking far longer than before for the next party to appear and Jim could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. His stomach dropped when in the next group Spock was nowhere to be found, just more of his crew assisting sick and bleeding humanoids with long red hair and pale skin.

"The storm is making beaming up almost impossible, Jim," McCoy said. That was when he noticed that McCoy was soaked to the bone along with everyone else who had beamed up from Ame.

Another group rematerialized in front of him even more slowly than the last time.

None of them Spock.

Nurse Chapel, along with four other men in blue, came through the doors, hastily attending to the wounded Ametians, lying some on stretchers while others were assisted to Sickbay.

"Nurse, please lead these people to Sickbay," McCoy said quickly, "Dr. Usui please fill Nurse Chapel in on everything you have told me while I speak with the Captain."

The woman nodded and followed Nurse Chapel out of the Transporter room, the landing party not far behind, each with a person held to them for support.

Kirk watched hopefully as two more yellow figures began to rematerialize before him.

Two more crewman from medical appeared.

Neither of them Spock.

Kirk took a deep steadying breath as he approached them.

"Is there anyone else?"

He sounded about as calm as he _didn't_ feel.

"Captain, there are no other sick or injured. All of the able bodied Ametians have descended into their shelters."

 "Where is Mr. Spock?" Kirk clarified, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

"He stayed behind to ensure that there was no one else-"

Kirk grabbed Scotty's communicator.

"Enterprise to Spock," Kirk said, his voice even, looking at the worried faces of Dr. McCoy and the two crewman, keeping his face as calm as ever. "Enterprise to Spock. Come in , Mr. Spock."

Nothing on the communicator, nothing through the bond.

Kirk glanced over at the worried faces again.

"If the two of you would please help Nurse Chapel in sickbay. McCoy, stay with me."

The two young crewmen nodded and walked the same path that the rest of the landing party had taken, leaving only Kirk, McCoy and Scotty.  

Once everyone had cleared, Kirk let his eyes display the utter fear that had been pumping coldly through his veins, the warmth gone...his strength gone.

"What happened Bones?"

"Jim, they seem to be infected with something...something that is not native to Ame. They're showing the same symptoms as the _Snijdend_ virus...something that we haven't had to deal with for over a hundred years on a planet clear across the galaxy...it's considered to be on the red list as a biological weapon...now how the Hell do you think that happened?"

"I don't know..." this was too much for Kirk to handle. There was still silence closing in all around him in his mind.

"We landed and saw their condition. We were getting blood samples and injecting them with something for the pain when the storm struck. The storm down there is...massive...."

"Where did everyone else go?"

"Everyone who was healthy went into shelters deep in the tunnels under the ocean. The sick were too weak to climb down into them...I guess there's some swimming involved...anyway, we beamed up, Spock stayed behind to make sure no one was still in the facility."

"So he could be in one of the shelters?"

"Not likely," said a voice from the doorway.

It was Dr. Usui.

The Ametians were shorter than humans, had thick straight hair and eyes that were far too big and far too round. Dr. Usui had red hair that went past her knees in her white scaly bodysuit, and eyes that looked like two diamonds with pupils.

"Your Commander would have to be an excellent swimmer, be able to withstand pressure beyond any human, and be well adapted to the freezing cold temperatures of our rock tunnels."

Kirk stared at her, trying to control his breathing, trying to keep himself together. Spock wore a thermal shirt under his uniform. Kirk knew this because he would help the Vulcan remove it before they would fall into bed together.

_I can't lose him. I can't. We've just started. We're supposed to have our whole lives...He can't be taken from me just like that...not after I've finally found him._

He looked slowly over to Scotty.

"Beam me down, Mr. Scott."

"There's no way in Hell I'd do that!"  
"That's suicide Jim! There's a massive _storm_ raging on that planet!"

Bones and Scotty were both yelling at him at the same time.

"Beam me down now or I'll do it myself! I am _not_ leaving Spock down there!" Kirk's voice was an angry growl as he struggled to keep what little composure he had left.

"We can't beam you down Cap'n," Scotty said morosely.

"Why not?" Kirk demanded in something that was barely short of a snap.

The engineer shook his head, his face looking sad.

"There'd be nowhere for ye to beam down to...."

"What does that mean?"

"He means, Jim, that the flood has overtaken their base. If he were to send you down now, you'd rematerialize in water so deep you'd have to be swimming," McCoy said, his cold blue eyes earnest.

_Then I'll SWIM!_

He wanted to scream at them, but held his tongue.

He was the captain. He had to be calm.

The Captain nodded.

"Mr. Scott, you tell me the moment you hear anything from that planet down there. Dr. McCoy and Dr. Usui, meet me in the conference room in fifteen minutes."

With that, Captain Kirk headed for the Turbolift.

The moment the doors were shut he doubled over, tears burning his eyes, his body raking with silent sobs, tears dripping down his face.

_No no no no no no no...not him...no...._

He searched his mind, looking for any trace of Spock.

The 'lift slowed and he straightened, wiping the tears from his face and composing himself before the doors slid open.

"Mr. Sulu, how long before we're due to leave here in order to arrive at Milligon 4 on time?" he asked as he stepped through the open doorway.

"7 hours and 3 minutes, Captain," he responded immediately.

"Can you do a scan for any lifeforms with Vulcan blood type?"

"Is there something wrong with Commander Spock?" he asked, looking worried.

"We just need to locate him, that's all," the Captain said reassuringly, hating having to be this person sometimes.

"Conducting scan now," said Sulu, glancing over at Uhura who was looking back at him with equal worry in her eyes. "Captain, there's too much electromagnetic interference for a scan."

The Captain leaned slightly against the back of his chair, looking through the Viewscreen at the dark planet.

"The storm..." he said to himself feeling all hope he had fall flat. "Chekov, is there an estimated time in when the storm will end?"

Chekov, who had taken Spock's place at the scope, looked into it, eyes illuminated in a square of blue.

"Dis is considered a minor storm for Ame, Keptain. It should lest no longer than 30 minoots."

The Captain took a few deep breaths and nodded, his heart aching in his chest, the fear and need for his bondmate crushing him from inside.

"What's going on?" Commodore Daniels asked from where he sat in the command chair.

"A minor delay, Commodore, but I assure you, we will be on our way as soon as we've collected the rest of our crew form the planet's surface."

"Captain," said Uhura from behind him.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Dr. McCoy has requested that you report to sickbay for debriefing."

Kirk nodded.

"Tell him I'm on my way."

 

*3*

 

"You look like shit, Jim."

McCoy looked him over from head to foot the moment that he came into visual contact.

"He's going to die, Bones."

He couldn't keep the tears from his eyes now that he was in the safe presence of his best friend.

"If he's not already...."

Now that the floodgates had opened, and now that he had said the words that had been haunting his mind he couldn't stop the tears streaming down his face, his crying now becoming uncontrollable.

Bones put a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder and gently guided him to his desk chair.

"He's strong, Jim. He's survived worse."

Kirk shook his head and put his hand over his mouth, trying to take control of his wild emotional state that had decided to run wild now that he was out of earshot of the rest of the crew.

"What if I lose him? It's freezing down there...he can't handle that kind of cold...I can't _feel_ him, Bones! I've been searching my mind, trying to find him, but I can't _feel_ him and I don't know what I'm going to do....I can't...."

"Can't what?" the doctor asked, rubbing his back gently.

"I can't do this without him...any of it...there's no point."

McCoy's eyes became sharp and catlike.

"Don't you talk like that. When the storm's over, we'll beam down and we will find Spock! But until then, we have to wait it out!"

Kirk nodded adamantly, pulling himself together.

"I will find him, Bones. I'm not letting him get away from me...."

The doctor slowly pulled his hand away, observing his best friend carefully.

"I'm going to get you a drink..." he looked the Captain over again, seeming to come to a decision. "And a sedative. Be right back."

He turned to leave, and as an afterthought said "If it's any consolation, I wish I had some of that Vulcan mind meld voodoo...I wish I could help you look for him in there...."

Kirk nodded and remained slumped in the chair as the Doctor left the office.

He took steadying breaths. If he was going to find his beloved, he had to be calm. It was illogical to worry about things that were outside of his control. He tried not to fall into another bout of tears when his husband's words had once again come to advise him.

He steeled himself and decided to focus the energy on planning the search party. Putting his mind to work....

_My mind...._

Spock could do mind melds...he could even make suggestions and perform limited mind control on people without touching them....

  
_But only **we**_ _have a **bond**...it's **different**...so maybe the bond isn't in my mind...it isn't in my **head**...._  


A spark of hope flew into him and he closed his eyes as he had seen his beloved Vulcan do so many times before, and focused on his breathing...he counted...he cleared his thoughts and focused on something else... _somewhere_ else.

Then he felt it...it had always been there from the moment that they had bonded...he had felt it happen, but had been so wrapped up in the emotion of it all...overwhelmed by it all that he hadn't really noticed all of the separate parts...but it was definitely there...a heartbeat alongside his...and strong....

He almost started crying again in relief.

"Jim?!"

McCoy's voice was alarmed as he rushed to the Captain's side.

Kirk opened his eyes and blinked at his friend.

"It's alright Bones, he's alive...perhaps not conscious...maybe in that Vulcan healing trance, but he's alive."

He stood up abruptly and made strode to the doors, waving away the doctor's offer of a glass of Festlighetian wine.

"I'm going to assemble a search party, if you don't mind, I would like Dr. Usui's help, she knows the terrain better down there...that is of course if she can pull away from the patients?"

Kirk suddenly felt viciously selfish for having forgotten the entire reason why Spock was stuck on that planet to begin with. He wanted to slap himself, but knew that McCoy would probably tranq. him right there....

"They're fine, Jim. I'll fill you in later. I can spare Dr. Usui, you just take care of yourself...."

 

*4*

 

After 5 hours of searching, they found nothing.

The storm was over, and Dr. Usui arranged for more Ametians to come out of their shelters to assist in the search, and there was still nothing.

Kirk focused on the bond. He had to wrangle with the blinding frustration at his inability to reach out to Spock...to ask him "Where the fuck _are_ you?"

Meanwhile, he received communications from the Enterprise. Sulu informed Kirk that the Commodore was becoming increasingly uneasy, demanding that McCoy send the patients back to the planet's surface the moment that someone had let slip that what ailed the Ametians was a near-ancient virus.

"He's creating quite a stir here, Captain."

His usually calm voice had the slightest hint of the extreme annoyance that he must have been feeling at that moment.

"We still have 2 hours, remind him of that please...and please Scan for Vulcan life forms again."

"Acknowledged."

 

*5*

 

They still had twenty minutes left, but the Commodore had already decided to take situations into his own hands and ordered Kirk back up...for the third time.

"I command you to return at once, Captain. We must beam down the _infected_ and we must get me to Milligon 4!"

Kirk glanced over at Dr. Usui who gave him a helpless look in return.

He still hadn't found Spock, and he had half a mind to tell the Commodore to go to Hell and drive the ship himself to the damn planet.

"Commodore, we still have-"

But suddenly he was standing in the Transporter room, Dr. Usui standing beside him looking about as confused as he felt. He glanced over at Scotty behind the controls who had an openly sour look on his face. The Commodore was standing beside the man looking frazzled, his expression more anxious than it usually was.

"I know we still have twenty minutes, which will be barely enough time to beam the infected back to their planet and the search team back to the ship."

That was when Jim noticed McCoy tending to the now recovered patients. It was evident that they still needed a bit more time to recover, but after McCoy's swift treatment and the medical team's attentive care, they looked like a completely different group, most standing on their own and chatting amongst themselves in Ametian.

"Commodore, we need to send down supplies so that they Ametians can properly vaccinate everyone else that was within range of the Virus-"

" _Not_ my problem, Captain!"

The Commodore's beady little eyes glared at him; Dr. Usui stirred beside him. He could feel anger radiating off of her tiny Ametian body.

"This _is_ our problem! These are members of the Federation! Their lives should be our main concern! There's no one else to help them! Stop being selfish and let my crew _save_ these people!"

Perhaps Kirk's voice was a little louder and a little angrier than it should have been, because there was dead silence  the Commodore looked furious, and, Kirk was secretly pleased to note, a little scared. Scotty, who never even attempted to hide his feelings most of the time anyway, was grinning at him. The Ametians were staring at him too, and he turned to see Dr. Usui giving him a grateful look.

"I will forgive your outburst seeing as you must be upset that you will be leaving your... _First_ somewhere on this planet. We leave now," the Commodore said stiffly before exiting the transporter room, keeping a conspicuously large distance between himself and the Ametians.

Jim's heart broke at the finality.

A soft hand touched his arm and he turned to see Dr. Usui smiling up at him, her overly large eyes warm.

"You know...I have a special remedy that could help one sleep. It is tasteless and could let one sleep for hours...."

"Thank you doctor, but I don't think I need any sleep right now," he said glumly as he stepped off the landing pad, and the patients began to load onto the transporter.

"No...I wasn't thinking about you," she said slowly, staring at him for a moment, letting her eyes drift over to the doors where the Commodore had just exited and then looking back at him.

It dawned on Kirk  was the little doctor was saying.

"Yeoman Bruke...does the Commodore take tea or coffee?"

 

*6*

 

It was darker than usual on Ame; their tiny sun was setting and two of their four moons were peeking out of the alien horizon.

Dr. Usui, Dr. McCoy, Kirk, and a small medical team had transported back to the planet's surface whilst the Commodore took a much needed nap....

"How did you people get this virus anyway? McCoy was saying that it hasn't been around for over a hundred years."

Kirk made conversation as they searched. The storm had nearly destroyed everything. He could have been worried when he looked at the overturned buildings and fallen structures, but he could feel the bond strong inside of him. Wherever Spock was, he was alive and well.

_Just a matter of finding him...._

Dr. Usui shrugged.

"I'm just happy that Dr. McCoy was able to figure it out. It seems that the remedy is the same as another one of your sicknesses. My thanks, Captain Kirk...everyone on this continent would have died from the virus if you hadn't stopped to help."

"It's our job-"

_T'hy'la?_

Kirk stopped dead in his tracks, his heart beating frantically with wild relief as his mind was suddenly accompanied by that beloved presence.

"What is it, Captain?"

"It's Spock," he nearly choked on unexpected tears.

Suddenly an image came into his mind. A large structure, very much like a tower beside a cliff...it could have been made of black quartz for all he knew, and it was glowing on its tip.

The image was gone as soon as it came.

 

*7*

 

Dr. Usui was able to immediately identify the structure, which, to the Ametians, was known as "the lighthouse."

When they arrived at the destination, the structure had fallen...and seemed to be stuck in the cliff.

"Is it...hollow?"

Dr. Usui shook her head.

"I don't remember it being so."

They looked around the rubble, the Ametians providing bright lights from the cliff above.

"SPOCK!" Kirk yelled, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

_I'm inside the cliff, the structure that fell seems to have broken it open to some kind of cave...most fascinating in here....My leg is broken, as is my arm...._

Kirk burst into a mad run in the direction of the opening.

McCoy took the hint and ran after him, shouting orders over his shoulder so the crew could hurry up.

He clawed at the rubble that had fallen over most of the man sized orifice an squeezed inside.  Once he laid eyes on Spock, he saw nothing else.

He darted for the Vulcan whose eyes lit up like fire. Kirk didn't stop until he had thrown himself to the ground on his knees beside his wounded bondmate. Without any heed of McCoy who was right behind him, Kirk took Spock's face in both hands, staring into his dark eyes and thanking the Heavens for the good fortune of being able to see them again. Spock caressed his lover's face with one hand, bumping their noses together and then murmuring against his lips "I knew you'd find me, T'hy'la."

"Well I'm glad one of us was optimistic," Jim choked out against the tears that were threatening to pour out.

Spock drank in those beautiful eyes, sending waves of assurance and comfort through their bond.  Kirk threw professionalism to the wind and brought their lips together in a soft yet intimate kiss, closing his eyes and relishing the taste and warmth of his lover.

"I love you," the human whispered to his Vulcan.

" _Taluhk nash-veh k'dular_ , Jim," Spock replied, stroking Jim's skin with the hand of his good arm.

"Jim, I hate to be a buzz kill, but we need to get Spock out of this place so we can beam him up and take him to sickbay," said Bones from behind him. "That is if you can transport, Spock?"

"Affirmative doctor," the Vulcan responded, not taking his eyes from Kirk's.

"We'll have to help you get out into the open. This place seems to be screwing with our scanners...the tricorders don't even work in here."

They exchanged one more soft kiss before Jim managed to pull himself away from Spock so that they could help him out of the cave.

Once the Captain rose and allowed the two other men to come to Spock's aid, he allowed himself to take in the surroundings. The place was... _warm_. Little flowers and were glowing in the darkness, a pale pink glittering all around him. He looked over at Dr. Usui who was also looking around in wonder.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Dr. Usui shook her head.

"There are legends...they say that from the fallen tears of our Goddess Tatchi, there grew a plant that would spread her love to us all to remind us that she would always love us...these flowers are supposedly the reason why we Ametians have succumb to no known disease in the Universe...."

"Well besides the _Snijdend_ virus...."

"It would seem so...but then again, the actual existence of these flowers were unknown to us...we may have been able to use them if we had known....They seem to be thriving here, and now with our new technology we should be able to recreate the habitat for them and grow them in mass quantities."

"A miracle cure for everything, huh?" Kirk asked, happily feeling Spock's annoyance with McCoy's frantic coddling through their bond. "That will come in useful to the Federation."

"And to... _others_...."

Kirk turned to look at her, her meaning suddenly becoming apparent. She turned and met his eyes.

"How strange, isn't it, Captain, that an old Virus from across the galaxy would end up in this particular part of Ame?"

The Captain nodded slowly.

"Have you had any visitors besides us in the past few months?"

 

*8*

 

Kirk held Spock's hand while the Vulcan lay on his back on the sickbed, a thermal blanket covering most of his body. He had a few knicks and cuts, many dark green bruises covered his body, and Dr. McCoy was using the Osteogenic stimulator to mend the broken bones.

"It's goddamn _boiling_ in this room," McCoy grumbled over his work. "First the Ametians need a _cold_ environment to recover in...now I have a Vulcan in here...I'll be happy to get back to my quarters and be able to deal with human temperatures for a little bit."

The doctor finished the mending and Spock sat up in the bed, allowing the doctor to feel the bones and test the success of the mend. All the while Jim sat beside the Vulcan, holding his hand and basking in the rays of Spock's consciousness.

"Well, the bones are fine...you'll need rest for a few days, keep off that leg and don't use the arm for a few days. After that you should be fine...and speaking of rest, when was the last time you slept, Jim?"

"Point taken," he replied before looking warmly upon his lover. "Will you take me to bed, Mr. Spock?"

The Vulcan lifted an eyebrow.

"Is that an order, Captain?"

"Jesus- _leave_ _now_ both of you!" Bones demanded, blushing furiously.

 

*9*

 

Spock and Kirk were a bundle of soft touches, deep kisses and whispers under the blankets.  

"I thought I'd lost you...."

"I'm right here...."

Spock held the delicate human closely to him, brushing his lips softly against his skin, sending gentle reassurance through their bond.

"You need to teach me how to use the bond, Spock. This would have never happened had I been able to communicate with you."

"You've taken a great step in figuring out where it is."

"It did no good...I couldn't send you my thoughts or ask you anything _specific_..."

"I could feel you worrying," Spock confessed, looking deep into Jim's eyes, stroking a piece of strawberry blonde hair out of his face. "I could feel your sorrow...."

"Teach me," Kirk responded, his jaw set, hazel eyes shining with determination.

"I will, _ashaya_...but not tonight...."

Finally reassured of his husband's wellbeing, Kirk could finally feel the tremendous exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks.

He snuggled closer to the one that he could have lost...held tightly to him to listen to his heart beating.

He couldn't believe that he could feel this way about anyone...he had a hard time coming to terms with it before, but now that he finally had, he had never imagined this kind of goodness...this kind of correctness between them....

_I could have lost you...._

Spock pulled his beloved to him tightly, their little world undisturbed as they drifted off to sleep in one another's arms, sharing their dreams and rest as they shared everything else now. A thought drifted between them...the source unknown...perhaps it came from them both....

_I'm never letting you go._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be out soon! I hope you enjoyed this one :)


	3. Communication Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third time Spock used their bond to communicate...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...this was a long chapter. I don't know why I have to make everything so intricate. I broke it up with little number things in hopes that it will make it easier to go back to where you were if you decide that reading this massive chapter in one go is a little excessive. Seriously though, communication is crucial. If these chapters are too long and you guys would prefer I break them up into actual chapters, just say so. I hope you enjoy it!!

 

*1*

 

Kirk was laying on the bed reading the reports that had come in overnight, Spock sitting comfortably beside him in deep meditation. Spock found that he was able to find the quiet of mind much easier when Jim was beside him, feeling his presence was soothing and he feared that he was becoming reliant upon it. He knew that this is what the bond did, but he always feared that Jim would eventually become displeased with the Vulcan's obvious dependence. This thought was quickly wiped away as a weight against his lap caused a minor lapse in his otherwise perfect concentration. He opened his eyes and lifted an eyebrow when he saw that his life mate had made a pillow of his folded limbs and was now reading his reports with his head in Spock's lap. Kirk glanced up, as though suddenly realizing that he was being watched. He gave an innocent smile, his hazel eyes wide.

"Sorry...please continue. You were just a little too far away for my taste."

Spock let his eyes wander over to the pillow a foot away that was probably still warm from Jim's head, then he looked back at Jim, amused. The man in question grinned.

"Too far away," he repeated.

"Perhaps we can arrange that McCoy perform a surgical procedure..."

"You can complain all you like, Mr. Spock, I know you love it," the blond said, looking back at his PADD and his reports.

Spock let his fingers caress the rose gold locks of his lover's hair as he closed his eyes to reenter his meditative state, which he managed to achieve even more quickly than he was used to...it seemed that physical contact with one's bondmate was even more beneficial than he would have thought.

He was in the deep luxurious silence when an emotion interrupted it. It was Jim...he was-

"Not now, Jim, we have alpha shift in approximately 29 minutes and 34 seconds, and we have not yet taken a meal. "

"You _heard_ me?"

The voice sounded so hopeful that Spock almost wanted to lie to his lover to spare him his disappointment. Jim had been trying so hard to work on his communication through the bond, but had made no progress. It was easy enough for Spock to have access to Jim's feelings all of the time, surrounded by the buzzing of his thoughts and his energy, but direct communication had not yet been achieved on his husband's part, and for some strange reason, the human seemed to be staking his worth on this ability that Spock had assured him would develop itself in time.

Spock knew that Jim was furious with himself for being unable to reach out to him during the storm, unable to tell him that they were looking for him, that he could come out of his healing trance and tell them where he was. Despite all of the Vulcan's attempts to nullify this illogical standard, Jim was still constantly trying to send him a direct thought or feeling. Most of the time it wasn't necessary anyways, as it was in this case, Spock was able to feel Jim's emotions around him like a second skin and was able to tell what his bondmate needed. Spock looked at his Captain.

"Jim-"

"Damn it. You _felt_ me, but you didn't _hear_ me..."

Disappointment flowed from this human who had managed to seize and capture his heart. Kirk must have felt the sentiment because the disappointment was immediately dissipated by a loving warmth.

"How did I get this lucky?" Kirk asked, staring up at those warm brown eyes and reaching up to link his fingers with Spock's in a Vulcan kiss.

Suddenly, breakfast didn't seem that important anymore as Spock unfolded himself from his meditative position, gently removing Jim's head from his lap so that they could lay parallel to one another, sideways on the bed. He propped his head up with one hand and stared down at his human.

"You now have my full attention."

Jim seemed almost a little...shy under Spock's heavy alien gaze.

James T. Kirk adun t'Spock  _loved_ attention...and he always got it. This was one of the things that had first intrigued the Vulcan about his Captain. Spock had always been one to hang back and let someone else take the lead if they were qualified. He found that being the center of attention made him feel less focused, unless it was for a _purpose_ , of course. Situations usually demanded observation, and observation was best achieved from the outside, and so Spock had always found it far more beneficial to be outside of a circle than within it. But James always made him feel that he was inside of the circle...that he was a part of everything. Jim was good at this. It was part of his magnetic charm that had women running to him in herds and crewmembers following his order with complete trust. This is what made him such a good leader. He was able to stand in the middle of the circle, beautiful, brilliant, self assured and prepared to lead.

Spock remembered watching Jim burn through people like dry twigs in a flame. Spock had allowed himself from time to time to feel some pity for them so that his own, much more destructive emotion of jealousy would be well shrouded. They were small victories, consumed and then forgotten. The only person that Kirk seemed to stick to was McCoy, and it was seldom that they saw eye to eye on anything, McCoy always ready with an objection and Kirk always ready with his I'm-the-Captain-so-there gavel.

As an observer, Spock oftentimes found himself amused by their interactions...in the chaos of their companionship, a strange, yet undeniable logic lived and thrived. Before Kirk's feelings had been revealed to his First Officer, the latter could only have imagined that _McCoy_ would be the only person that could contain the wandering flame of Jim's affections. When the Captain's feelings _had_ been brought to Spock's attention, he had been more than shocked.

_Why me?_

He found himself thinking it now, as he slowly kissed this force of a man that he called T'hy'la.

Jim rolled on top of him, kissing him hungrily and rubbing his hand on the fabric that contained Spock's now hardening penis. Spock let himself lose the control that he had gone through so much training to contain.

  
_Only with my T'hy'la...only with_ him _can I let go...._  


Jim kissed the Vulcan softly in the spot under his pointed ear, trailing his lips against his skin gently as he moved down to his beautiful throat. He kissed his jaw and then his lips again, intending to take every second of that 29 minutes and 34 seconds. His first officer's breathing was heavy as his strong, hot hands roved over his back and under his shirt. Jim parted from his lover, and Spock could see that his eyes were blazing in all of their golden wonder. His face was flushed against tan skin, and he gave Spock a sheepish look. Spock touched his cheek, giving him a questioning look. Kirk's face got even redder, and Spock could tell through their bond that he was nervous about something...shy...which was so very unlike him...except when it came to Spock. That was something that he had found interesting before their romantic developments, that Kirk was never shy...except for with his First Officer.

"What is it?" he asked warmly.

Kirk's face was blazing when he carefully pronounced the Vulcan words " _Taluhk nash-veh k'dular."_  


A smile blossomed on Spock's face, which he did not do often (not because he didn't want to, he simply wasn't used to it). Endearment flooded his heart like it so often did around this man.

"Very good pronunciation, Captain," he said, pulling the human closer to him and placing a small kiss on his lips. "Perhaps I could teach you some other words...."

"How do you say 'hurry up and make love to me, we only have 22 minutes left?'"

Spock kissed him again, smile still on his face while he said "21 minutes and 41 seconds."

"Then we really have to hurry, mister-"

But Spock then had flipped them over so that he was on top. He pushed Jim's shirts up and was sucking on a nipple. the human tilted his head back and arched his body into his bondmate's touch, but Spock had no intention of lingering. He began kissing down Kirk's chest, then the skin right bellow his belly button. He nuzzled his nose in the happy trail while undoing the standard black pants.

_He must already have this whole thing planned out to fit our time limit, my sexy Vulcan...._

Spock had just pulled the pants and boxers down and now licked the side of his cock, erasing any thoughts that could have dwelled in his mind. Spock took him into his mouth and gave his throbbing organ a good hard suck. The human let out a whimper that went straight to the Vulcan's cock-

A chiming from their video phone caused Spock to remove his lips from his lover's cock and Kirk to let out an irritated groan.

"Bridge to Captain Kirk."

It was Uhura.

"Why?" Kirk groaned, covering his face with both of his hands.

"Because you are the Captain," Spock replied warmly, rising so he could give Kirk a quick kiss on the forehead before heading to the replicator to get a quick breakfast for them both. 

He turned on the screen after fixing his appearance to hide the fact that they had intended to have a quickie before their shift.

"This is Kirk," Jim said, trying not to sound whiny and annoyed at the interruption.

"Captain, Admiral Daya is requesting a private audience in Conference room 4."

Jim stared at the image of Uhura on the screen.

"Is she on the ship?"

"No, Captain, it's a video conference," Uhura looked over Jim's shoulder and said brightly, "Good morning, Mr. Spock."

Kirk turned to see that Spock was crossing the room to get his shoes.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," he responded, tilting his head to Uhura in greeting before continuing his task.

Kirk felt a swell of warmth and pride.  

_That's right, he's in our quarters putting on his shoes because his shoes and my shoes always go in the same place, because we're married and all of our stuff goes together._

"What time does she request my presence?" Kirk asked, tearing his eyes away from the tall, slender figure that was sitting on their bed, pulling on his shoes.

"Immediately, Captain."

Kirk nodded professionally, but frowned internally.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Captain."

The screen went black.

Spock handed him a plate with an eggy-in-a-basket and Jim smiled at the thoughtfulness of it.

"Eat on your way there."

He took the plate and they exchanged a lingering kiss before Kirk strode out of their quarters to head for Conference room 4, stuffing the toast in his face.

*2*

"Good morning, Captain Kirk, I apologize for calling you in so early. May I inquire as to whether or not this is private?"

Admiral Daya's face was calm and professional as she greeted the captain.

"We're alone, Dalisay."

The professionalism died at that moment, her brows furrowing into a much more familiar expression for Kirk.

"What the _Hell_ were you thinking? Commodore Daniels is saying that you _drugged_ him so you could save your husband. Not only are you being written up for insubordination, but you are now being accused of gross misconduct. Drugging a superior officer? Is it true? Are you fucking nuts?"

Dalisay and Jim had been friends since before the academy. She had always been smarter, faster and stronger than he had...and had also been far more colorful in her language...something the Captain was seeing hadn't changed in her years as Admiral.

"I didn't drug him!" Kirk protested, then grumbled "The tea I gave him had an herbal soother-"

"Oh, God _damn_ it, Jim!"

"It causes no damage and it can't be traced."

"Don't get me wrong, Jim, I know how it must have felt having your husband stuck on that planet in that storm, but you went against orders!"

"I didn't stay on the planet only for Spock, Dalisay, there were Ametians on my ship who needed to recover. There's some strange things happening, and I need your help to get to the bottom of it!"

"He's saying that the Ametians weren't even sick! That you, Spock and McCoy were going on your own little side mission to gather some precious materials for personal profit!"

"That is a blatant _lie_ and I intend to prove it!"

"Well they're scheduling a preliminary hearing for next week, I suggest you line up some defense, because as of right now, you are so fucked."

 

*3*

 

Their shift ended with no incident. Spock, of course, was aware of his bondmate's gloomy mood since before he had ever walked onto the bridge, but functioned as though he noticed nothing save sending Kirk strokes of loving encouragement through their bond throughout their shift. Kirk bid everyone farewell for the day before heading to the Turbolift, knowing that Spock was right behind him. The door shut and the two men turned to each other, Jim bringing his hands to the Vulcan's shoulders, while Spock gently cupped his lover's face in his hands, pressing their foreheads together, their noses touching. Kirk let out a long breath, suddenly relaxing in Spock's embrace.

"I'd do it again, Spock."

"I know."

"They'll  take the ship, strip me of command, but I'd do it all over again if it means having you with me...there's zero contest there."

"We do not know what will be, Jim. You must keep you mind focused on the possibility of a positive outcome in order for a solution to be revealed to you."

"You almost sound like an optimist," Kirk said, smiling, rubbing his lips against Spock's, rewarded by a quick soft kiss.

"It's not optimism. It's logic. State of mind is proven to affect decision making and observational skills. Feeling defeated will serve no purpose but to close your mind to the possibility of other outcomes."

The 'lift doors parted and they stepped out into the hallway on their way to their quarters.

"I wonder if Sam Cogley would be available as my defense...."

"He did prove to be a most effective attorney, albeit untraditional."

"I should try contacting him as soon as possible."

"I recommend that we eat first, Captain."

Kirk wanted to protest, but knew that there was no fighting with Spock when it came to taking care of himself. He nodded and they entered their room.

 

**4**

 

"I'm so sorry, Captain, I really would like to help, but this case requires my full attention!"

Jim's heart sank. He trusted Cogley as more than just a lawyer. He was a good man who was devoted to the truth...and Kirk needed some truth right about now.

"I can send you a list of recommendations if you'd like."

"That would be very helpful. Thank you, Mr. Cogley."

The screen went blank and Kirk heaved a deep sigh.

Long fingers took his shoulders and began kneading into the muscle and he leaned back into the touch.

"You are very tense," said the low, baritone voice beside his ear. "May I suggest we retire for the day, while we await Mr. Cogley's list?"

His fingers moved down the human's back, finding more little knots of tension in his muscles and firmly working them apart with his fingertips. Kirk practically purred with the divine touch.

"I accept your suggestion, Mr. Spock," Jim said, groaning a little when those clever fingers found another angry little knot.

Jim felt hot lips against his neck and he hummed with contentment. 

Then the hands were gone and Kirk couldn't help but pout a little until Spock was in front of him, offering him a hand.

The human smiled and took it, coming to his feet.

"What did you have in mind, Commander?"

The Vulcan simply kissed Kirk's knuckles and pulled him in the direction of their bathroom.

He turned the water on for the bath and ordered the lights to 35%.

Kirk grinned.

"Be careful, Mr. Spock, one would think that you're trying to set some kind of mood."

Spock's eyes were warm in the darkness as he wrapped his arms around his lover's waist.

"We were interrupted this morning," was the taller man's simple reply before kissing him fully on the lips. 

The kiss started off soft, lips moving against lips, then the lips parted and tongues met and their kisses became hungrier, and they were pulling themselves closer to each other, panting, their hands touching, feeling and squeezing everything that they could find. Spock buried his hands in Kirk's hair, kissing him passionately and letting out the tiniest sound of need that drove Jim to grab his ass and rub their clothed erections together.

Kirk could feel heat, desire and love pouring through the bond, his mind and heart flooding with shared adoration, when Spock pulled away. Kirk loved Spock's eyes...they were the color of dark honey, and were warm and deep, and always hidden under long thick lashes.

Kirk leaned back in for another kiss, but Spock pulled away before he could land one.

He stepped back a little, creating a distance between them before effortlessly pulling his shirts over his head, exposing the lean muscle that hid under those science blues.

Jim made a little groan of frustration, desire and possessiveness as his eyes swept over the beautiful, half naked figure before him.   

"Mr. Spock, I order you to keep kissing me."

"I'm afraid our quarters is out of your jurisdiction," Spock quipped as he sat on the edge of the bathtub, pulling off his shoes.

Kirk looked over at the steaming water in the bath that had just finished its auto-fill.

They always had it set to _their_ favorite temperature: boiling hot.

Jim remembered a time when he could have never imagined being married, or giving his life to someone else...he was a space-traveler, not to be anchored down by another person, their habits or their ambitions. He never liked the idea of working around someone else's life, or having to make compromises in his own. It was far more simple to remain unattached. But these thoughts of doubt and worry had melted away when he fell in love with Spock, and they never crossed his mind when he and Spock got married, and talk about a different _person_...Spock wasn't even fully  _human_ , and Jim was ready to do anything it took to keep this man by his side for the rest of his life. It was funny that, so far, in their daily routines, not much had to be compromised. Kirk had loved scorching hot baths since he was a child, and had always found the weather far too cold for his liking. When he had expressed his desire to join Starfleet to his mother she had retorted "You couldn't even handle summers in Iowa without a jacket, how the Hell do you plan on dealing with the cold of deep space?"

He smiled at the Vulcan who was now removing his pants.

_Why, by enjoying scalding hot baths with an abnormally hot alien husband, that's how, mother._

"Do you not care to join me?" Spock asked, an eyebrow raised, deliciously naked and stepping into the steaming water.

Kirk hadn't realized that he had been waiting for an invitation, but now that he had it, he was frantically pulling his clothes off with absolutely none of the grace that his better half had displayed performing this very action.

A corner of Spock's mouth came up as he sank into the bath, watching as the incredibly eager human tried to remove his pants before taking off his standard black boots. Spock reached for the long slender bottle made of dark glass that sat beside the bathtub.

His blonde counterpart nearly stumbled and fell as he stood on one leg, trying to remove his boot.

"Let me remind you," Spock said as he pulled the jeweled top from the bottle, the subtle and intoxicating scent drifting pleasantly from the opening, "that Dr. McCoy would have to tend to you while you are mostly naked in a pre-coital state if you were to injure yourself.

Jim flushed as one of the shoes dropped from his foot.

"I suggest you be more cautious."

Kirk sat on the edge of the bathtub, as he had seen Spock do, to carefully remove his other shoe.

Once Jim had successfully disposed of his remaining clothing, he stepped into the hot bath while Spock poured the smallest amount of the oil into the water. He submerged and leaned back against Spock, whose arms wrapped around him, stroking his skin softly.

The human turned so that he could kiss Spock's neck.

"Is this the oil Amanda gave us as a wedding gift?"

"Indeed," the deep voice responded, and Kirk was once again reminded of how sexy his voice was.

"It smells wonderful," he said, kissing Spock's jaw.

"It's an oil made from a flower that is known as  _shan'hal'lak._ It is said to have beneficial properties for the physical joining of one bondmate to another."

"Sounds promising," Kirk responded before Spock's fingertips guided his chin so that their lips could meet. The Vulcan tongue teased Jim's lips apart and then brushed against his own as he kissed him deeply and thoroughly, taking in the delightful taste of his lover.

Kirk was breathless by the time Spock pulled away to reach for the oil again.

"So, what kind of beneficial properties does this stuff have?"

Spock dipped two fingers into the oil and then brought them out. The hand then disappeared under the water as Spock began marking Kirk's neck with his mouth. Jim felt one of Spock's hands pull one of his legs to spread them, and then there was an invading finger at his opening. Kirk's heart was pounding in his ears, his breathing heavy as the Vulcan made his mark on the tender flesh. Kirk pushed against the finger, which slid in easily with the oil.

There was a tingling sensation inside of him as Spock pushed the finger deeper inside of him. Jim was panting now, losing all sense of where he ended and Spock began as he let down his defenses and allowed the whispering of Spock's consciousness to envelope him. It was amazing how much they were bleeding into each other...it was getting close to the kind of connection that they would have in a mind meld.

Kirk cried out and lifted a hand to wrap around Spock's neck, grasping at the thick black hair as his bondmate added the other oiled finger. Spock moved his mouth from Kirk's neck to his mouth, fingering him deeply and steadily under the water. Jim couldn't stop the embarrassing, raw noises that tumbled from his mouth and onto Spock's tongue as the fingers relentlessly worked him open, and the oil sent shivers of relaxation through his entire body, the scent of it making him forget where he was...but not whom he was with. Kirk became aware of his lover's heavy erection that brushed against his thigh.

"Spock...now! _Now_!" He whimpered into his lover's mouth.

Spock, who never had to be asked twice, rose out of the bathtub and pulled a boneless Kirk out like he weighed nothing. The human wrapped himself around Spock's body and let the strong Vulcan carry him to their bed. Kirk noticed that his senses were sharper, the colors all crisp in the dim light. He found that he could distinguish every scent on his bondmate: the oil, hot water, their shampoo, aftershave, fabric softener, and that perfect scent of Spock, the smell that his skin had, the smell that remained on his pillow and lingered long after he had risen for meditation. Everywhere that their wet skin touched hummed with electricity. Spock flopped Kirk onto the bed and covered his mouth hungrily with his own.

"You taste good," Kirk managed to get out before Spock's tongue pushed back into his mouth again.

Spock took hold of Jim's hips and slid his hot member effortlessly inside, earning an animalistic cry of pure pleasure from his human bondmate. Kirk felt none of the initial discomfort that he usually felt when being penetrated, just absolute ecstacy blooming inside of him. Spock groaned against his open mouth and Jim had to keep from coming right then.

Now Spock was slinging one of Kirk's legs higher so that he could push even deeper inside of him. Jim grasped at the damp back, feeling Spock's muscles tense with every deep, powerful thrust. Jim could feel the pleasure mounting, pulling the force out of him like a building wave as he emitted screams of pleasure against his lover's shoulder, Spock moaning over and over as he fucked him good and hard. Finally the wave crashed over them both, Kirk coming against their bellies, calling out his husband's name and Spock simultaneously spilling his seed deep inside of his lover's body, fucking him through their orgasm until they both collapsed with exhaustion and contentment. They lie there side by side, their bodies still tangled together, damp from sweat and bathwater, exchanging sweet, soft kisses.

Kirk stared into those deep brown eyes that he loved so much.

"Remind me to thank your mother again for that fantastic wedding gift," he said, grinning.

Spock blushed a soft green that made Jim's heart do a little summersault.

"I would prefer my that mother not know any details of the physical aspect of our relationship."

Kirk grinned even wider.

"Your mother sent us lube."

Spock's blush intensified.

"She sent us oil that has many physical benefits-"

But Jim cut him off with a deep kiss.

"I love you," he whispered against the Vulcan lips.

"I love you, Jim," Spock responded, and pulled the human closer possessively.

 

*5*

 

Spock's mind erupted with happiness and realization...well not _his_ mind, but Kirk's, who was now sitting up in their bed, wide awake.

"What is it, _adun_?" the Vulcan asked, sitting up and touching Jim's back.

After their mind-blowing sex the night before, they had returned to the still hot bath, cleaned up and had fallen asleep naked and clean, wrapped up in each other in between soft, fresh sheets.

Jim's sudden realization had woken them both up, though Spock was still in the dark as to what that realization was.

"Areel Shaw," Jim said, turning to Spock in the dark.

Spock's heart sank at the familiar name.

"Who is this person, may I ask?" Spock asked, even though he knew who she was...knew who she _had_ _been_ to Kirk once. Spock did not particularly like being woken in the middle of the night by his husband saying his ex girlfriend's name in such an excited manner.

An emotion stirred in Spock's gut that he hadn't felt since before he and Jim had confessed their feelings to one another.

  
_Jealousy_.

It took a split second for Spock to slam his shield shut and block the illogical emotion from leaking through their bond.

Jim had never done anything in their relationship to merit such a dark and poisonous reaction from him, and he had zero intention of allowing the emotion to taint their pure and loving bond.

Spock could tell that Jim was studying him in the darkness.

It wasn't like Spock to forget facts, or names or... _anything_ really.

"She was the prosecutor...who argued against Cogley at my hearing for the death of Benjamin Finney...."

Kirk was talking carefully, as though desperately hoping that he would not have to continue and ask McCoy to give his husband a full examination.

Spock gave in.

"Yes, I remember her now. Short blonde hair, blue eyes, human female..."

_Beautiful, intelligent, relentless, ambitious and still attracted to you._

"She was the one who had recommended Cogley in the first place!"

"May I remind you that she did, thankfully, _lose_ that trial?"

"She's not a prosecutor...she usually works defense."

Spock nodded.

Despite his illogical feelings about the woman, he knew that she was Kirk's best bet, and he was not about to jeopardize Jim's Captaincy over his jealousy over some past fling.

"We should contact her first thing in the morning," Spock said. "She _is_ a brilliant attorney."

Kirk lay back down and brought a hand to Spock's arm to pull him down beside him. Spock wrapped his arms around Jim and nuzzled his neck, keeping the angry little seedling of an  emotion caged in his mind, obscured from his lover's mental view.

"What is it, Spock?" Kirk murmured sleepily against the jet black hair.

"Nothing, T'hy'la. Go back to sleep."

 

*6*

 

"This is quite serendipitous, Captain, as I am on Talino, not far from where the _Enterprise_ is. I have just finished a case, and I would be more than happy to take yours...to make up for almost ruining your career last time."

Areel Shaw looked as beautiful as ever on the conference room screen, her blonde hair having grown out a little to curl around her gorgeous face.

Kirk smiled at her.

"I am delighted and have no idea how to thank you. When can we beam you up?"

"Today, if it's convenient. I want to get started on your case as soon as possible," she replied. "You can treat me to dinner."

Kirk chuckled.

"I'm afraid there isn't much here to dine on that would be could be called a 'treat.'"

"Well, dinner while catching up on old times will be good enough for me."

"Sounds perfect. We look forward to seeing you."

"You too, Jim."

The screen went blank and Kirk hit the intercom button.

"Kirk to bridge."

"Scotty here."

"Scotty, set coordinates to orbit Talino, we have a guest."

"Aye, sir."

The Captain then made his way to the lab that he knew that Spock was working on a project with Sulu.

He had the strangest feeling that there was something wrong...like there was something hanging over him that he couldn't quite remember. Spock had been acting normal all day, still affectionate and loving, but there was something wrong...Spock was hiding something and he could _feel_ it. Perhaps Jim had not yet gotten to the point where he was able to communicate through their bond, but he had gotten damn good at reading Spock's feelings. Always being surrounded by Spock's energy had earned Kirk extensive knowledge on the in's and out's of his Vulcan life-mate. 

_Spock's lying to me about something...deliberately withholding something...._

Kirk was once again frustrated at his own lack of ability. He knew that if _Spock_ wanted to get a secret out of _him_ , he would simply utilize the bond and search through his thoughts and feelings like flipping through a filing cabinet.

_He would never have to, because I would never keep anything from him._

Jim thought peevishly as he arrived at the laboratory door.

It slid open to reveal Spock and Sulu staring at a screen, the light it emitted making their concentrated faces glow.

"Fascinating," Spock said before turning his gaze from the computer, his eyes meeting Kirk's, filled with warmth, affection and a streak of possession that never failed to get Kirk hot.

"Gentlemen."

"Good morning, Captain," Sulu said at once, standing in greeting. Sulu's eyes went from his face down to his neck where Kirk knew a love bite was peeking over his shirt. He could feel himself blushing a little as he promised himself that he would go change into something that hid the mark better.

"Good morning. Mr. Sulu, is it alright if I steal Mr. Spock for a moment.

"Not a problem, Captain," he responded, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Mr. Spock."

Spock joined Kirk as they headed out to the hallway.

"I need to change this shirt before the whole world sees the little brand you left on me."

Jim could feel through the bond that Spock was feeling rather pleased with himself.

"I can always accompany you to our quarters..." Spock ventured, and Kirk was suddenly very tempted to drag the Vulcan into the nearest empty room and fuck his brains out.

Spock seemed to pick up on the intent of the thought and grabbed his arm, pulling him into an empty lab and pushing him up against the wall, covering his mouth in a hot kiss. Kirk kissed back, starving for the taste of his lover. They made out against the wall like a couple of horny teenagers and Kirk couldn't remember ever feeling like this with anyone else. He found that the longer that they were together, the more insatiable his need was for his tall counterpart's presence. Every second that they spent away from one another made Kirk yearn harder for the Vulcan.

Need poured from Spock, his consciousness bleeding into Jims-

But there it was again.

The human pulled away reluctantly and took his lover's face between his hands, his eyes boring into Spock's.

"What are you hiding from me, Spock?"

Spock stared into those beautiful, hazel orbs and knew that he could not lie to his _adun_.

He knew that he was going to have to at least tell Kirk that there was something wrong, and he'd have to explain that this was something that he'd have to deal with on his own.

Spock opened his mouth to speak when the intercom sounded.

"Bridge to Captain Kirk, come in Captain."

It was Uhura.

Jim gave Spock a this-conversation-isn't-over look and pressed on the intercom button.

"Kirk here."

"Captain, we have received communications from the planet Talino, an Areel Shaw is requesting permission to board."

Spock felt that involuntary tug of jealously again, and to his horror Kirk's eyes flickered to Spock's...as though he had _felt_ it.

"Permission granted, have Scotty arrange for the Transporter to stand by. We'll be there in a moment."

He pushed the button again to close the communication.

"What was that?" he demanded.

Jim had felt something through their bond and had felt Spock contain it the moment it had slipped into existence. 

"We should report to the Transporter room to greet Lieutenant Shaw," Spock said quickly and turned to lead the way.

Confusion filled Kirk's mind. One minute Spock couldn't remember who Areel _was_ , the next minute he remembered that she was a Lieutenant. Suspicions rose in Jim's head that he didn't care to bring to the forefront...because why entertain such ludicrous ideas?

At that same moment, Spock decided that he would have to be far more vigilant in his endeavor to not bring additional stress to his lover.

He locked his mind up tight before entering the Turbolift.

They didn't speak a word the entire way to the Transporter room, both lost in their own thoughts.

When they entered the room and saw Ms. Shaw stepping off the pad. Spock picked up a definite signal of happiness from his husband, his own feelings of possessiveness leaping against its shield like a rabid animal. Simultaneously, Kirk felt Spock cut off from him the moment that he saw Areel. He filed it under: to think about later, and smiled at their guest.

"It's been a long time, Jim," Areel said happily, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Too long. I'm sorry that we only ever seem to see each other when I'm in trouble."

"At risk of sounding creepy, what is that lovely smell? Is that a flower of some kind?"

Kirk felt his face get hot and knew that Spock was probably using all of his Vulcan prowess to keep his own skin from turning a lovely shade of green.

"Indeed. It's a desert flower that we have on Vulcan," Spock intervened graciously.

  
_Damn, how does he sound so_ normal _?_  


Kirk grinned, pulling away and motioning to his lover.

"You remember my husband, Mr. Spock."

She smiled brightly and held up the traditional Vulcan salute.

"Live long and prosper."

This took Spock by surprise, but he was grateful that she had gone through the trouble and that he was spared the awkwardness of not accepting a handshake.  

"Peace and long life, Ms. Shaw."

She put her hand down.

"I owe you both a belated congratulations. I heard about your wedding," she said amiably.

"Yes, well, it was a long time coming," Jim said, glancing over at his husband, beaming.

Spock's heart melted and he suddenly hated himself for not telling Kirk sooner why he was upset, while at the same time hating himself for having these stupid feelings to begin with.

Spock decided that the moment that they had some time alone, he would tell Jim everything. It was illogical to continue keeping things from his bondmate...not to mention heavily advised against in the Vulcan community.

"I agree," she said looking from one man to the other. "I always thought that two of you made a handsome pair. You need to tell me all about how you two got together."

"We will, but for now, Mr. Spock and I need to begin our shifts on the bridge. Yeoman Bruke," Kirk turned to the tiny brunette. "Please escort Ms. Shaw to her designated quarters. I'll have all of the information brought to your room."

"Thank you, I could use the rest. It's been a long couple of weeks."

"And I apologize that another long week awaits you."

 

*7*

 

It turned out that getting time alone to talk to the Captain was impossible. The moment that they left orbit from Talino, Sulu called Spock back to the lab, insisting that it was urgent, while Kirk was asked to look over a mountain of "paperwork" concerning a mission that they had completed months ago, but had been disputed. They also had to go to planet Yisheng to pick up the newest piece of medical equipment that Bones hadn't stopped raving about since they had received communication about it.

"Surgery will be a thing of the past! The Operray is supposed to be the most advanced piece of equipment...we'll be able to take care of internal injuries in minutes, Jim, _minutes_..."

As McCoy and Kirk stood staring at the Transporter, a huge excited grin on the doctor's face, Jim couldn't help but think about Spock. The Vulcan was really holding back now, and it was killing him. Usually what had enabled Kirk to get through days like this, when they couldn't be side by side, was their constant contact, their bond, healthy and constantly flowing. Spock had an unnaturally tight hold of his end and Kirk felt like a man without sustenance...someone standing on thin ice, ready to crack, ready to drown in the freezing cold water of loneliness.

"Oh they're _beautiful_!" McCoy swooned to his left when the machines came into view. Two metal crates had arrived, and McCoy's prototype had materialized on its own. The men standing by came to gather the crates and take them to the storage space while McCoy knelt and took the Operray  in his hands, cradling it like a baby bird. It was about the size of one, Kirk observed. It looked like an oversized ring with a small metal sphere on the end. McCoy put his fingers through the hoop and it began to coil like a snake, forming itself to his fingers so that he was wearing it comfortably and securely on the back of his hand.

The grin he wore looked like it was going to split his face in half as he held up his hand, as though halting Kirk. He spread his fingers and a transparent screen appeared.

"No internal injuries, Jim!" 

Kirk smiled at his friend, trying to keep his mind from examining the gaping hole in his bond with his life-mate.

Bones frowned and brought his fingers back together, the screen disappearing. He curled his fingers and the loop uncoiled. 

"What's the matter, Jim?" he asked, as he pulled the loop up higher, and Jim watched with interest as the hoop tightened around his upper arm so as to remain there until needed.

_It looks so familiar...._

"I'm just tired, that's all..."

"Yeah, I can tell from your little love bite that the hobgoblin didn't let you get much sleep," Bones joked, his blue eyes gleaming mischievously.

Kirk brought his hand up to cover it, and felt himself blushing again. He cleared his throat and said "Being happily married leaves a mark."

"I'm not judging!" He motioned to the device resting comfortably on his arm. "I've already studied all of the properties of this thing, so we can proceed to the planets where I have to demonstrate it."

"We'll get on course, then."

"Commander Spock to Captain Kirk," Spock's deep, sultry voice drifted through the 'com and Jim felt his heart leaping at the sound of his lover.

"Kirk here."

"Captain, I have just received word from Lieutenant Shaw...the information that was provided to her has significant errors and gaps."

"That's very strange....I'll go to her quarters now and we'll take a conference room-"

"May I suggest that I go, Captain? My work here with Sulu requires and incubation period, therefore I have more time to spare."

Kirk frowned.

"I'll join you both as soon as I can."

"Aye, Captain."

Jim released the button, the exchange weighing heavily on his mind.

He turned to see McCoy staring at him intently.

"What is it, Jim?"

"It's nothing. Let's get back to the bridge, shall we?"

 

*8*

 

Spock was about to head to Ms. Shaw's quarters when he remembered that Kirk would be joining them soon...and Ms. Shaw had had all morning to make herself look absolutely delectable, he was sure....

His Vulcan logic was screaming that he was being over emotional, and that he needed to focus on the task at hand. But the human side, which said, "best not let this lawyer show you up," won out and he changed course for his and Kirk's quarters. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he felt better. He hated feeling self conscious, and knew in his heart of hearts that his behavior was ridiculous, considering Jim had married _him_ while his relationship with the young attorney had been fleeting. But he couldn't help the gnawing in his gut at the feeling of excitement that Kirk had expressed at remembering his former lover.

After he had spruced up, he looked at himself in the mirror.

It would have to do.

He sighed internally, and felt more lonely than ever.

Thanks to shutting his emotions up and damming them from the bond, he was seemingly unable to feel what Jim was feeling.

This could not go on.

 

*9*

 

Kirk stared into space (literally) as Bones and Chekov went over the list of locations that they would have to pass. It was going to be a long day. There was a surprising amount of planets that they were responsible for, and the Captain wanted to get through as many of them as possible while still being thorough. But the Captain wasn't really thinking about the mission....

Spock and Areel were probably in a conference room together...alone...Spock had sealed his thoughts away from Kirk and seemed to be acting like he wouldn't notice...and Areel...Areel is a beautiful woman...kind, intelligent and ambitious-

"Captain, there seems to be something wrong with communications."

Uhura's voice pulled Kirk out of his train-wreck of thought, and he was pulled back into the moment.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"I keeps cutting in and out of operation...."

"Did you already go through the standard troubleshooting procedures?"

"Aye, sir."

"Is it functioning now?"

Uhura pressed a few buttons and nodded.

"Aye, sir."

"Alert me the moment it acts up again."

"Aye, sir."

"The computers are actin' up also, Cap'n," Scotty said from where he sat on the other side. "They're functionin' new, but they go in an' out."

"Same orders apply, Scotty."

"Aye, sir."

A thought occurred to Jim and he quickly pressed the 'com.

"Lab 4...bridge to Sulu, come in Mr. Sulu."

"Sulu here."

"Mr. Sulu, how are the computers in the labs working?"

"Funny you should mention it, Captain, the computers in the other labs have been reported as acting a bit strange...but the computers in _this_ lab have had no problems whatsoever..."

"Thank you, Mr. Sulu," he turned off the 'com and rose from the command chair.

"Scotty, you have the conn," he said as he entered the 'Lift.

Spock had informed him that he and Ms. Shaw would be in conference room 10 when he was ready, and Kirk now made his way there with haste.

When the doors slid open, it revealed Areel and Spock sitting on opposite sides of the conference table, both staring intently at their PADDs, information and files projected on the wall. In the midst of all of the chaos, all Kirk could see was Spock, who looked practically edible in his fresh science blues. It looked as though he had gone back to their room to freshen up....

Kirk frowned internally, but planted a smile on his face when they both looked up.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, you both seem so focused. Dare I ask how it's going?" Kirk asked, looking pointedly around the warzone that was the conference room.

"Jim, there is so much information missing, it's insane...according do your computer, there isn't even a record that you received a distress signal from Ame to begin with," Areel said, her lovely brow furrowed in frustration.

"That is very strange....Well, we have the accounts of the people who were on shift."

"Yes, but I don't know how helpful that will be...."

"Why not?"

"Well, you're also being accused of drugging your superior officer, the prosecution may lead the court to believe that you could have drugged your crew as well to make them believe what you want them to believe. The Encephalographic polygraph scan can only tell us if your crew _knows_ that they're lying, not whether or not they say is the _truth_."

"You really think that they would believe that I would, what, hypnotize everyone on the bridge to believe something so elaborate as an emergency rescue mission on Ame?"

"Files indicate that the Ametians have herbs at their disposal that could succeed in such an endeavor. They are known for using mass hypnotism as a form of entertainment, much like movies and amusement parks in the old days on your Earth," Spock said, an eyebrow raised.

"Ridiculous..." Kirk grumbled.

"I don't know what's going on with your computers either, but there are information errors and we can't seem to get into your computer back up files..."

"It's not taking my override codes," Spock said, sitting up straight in his chair and meeting Kirk's eyes.

_God he looks amazing-FOCUS!_

"Let me try mine," the Captain said, trying not to sound too anxious. Spock stood to let Jim take the chair, keeping one hand flat on the table so that he could look at the screen.

Kirk let his eyes rise and fall with obvious approval at the taller man's appearance, and Spock's eyes showed his delight in his own catlike way. Jim sat down.

"Let's see...."

He put his own hand down beside Spock's, palm down and used his other hand to punch in his code on the screen.

Error.

Kirk let his pinky seek out Spock's as he stared at the screen. 

He tried his code once more.

Error.

He was now stroking Spock's index fingers with his own, slowly and suggestively.

He could hear Spock's breathing becoming ever so slightly irregular.

"We need to find the source of this error. Perhaps you could check out the mainframe...."

"That would require that my code be recognized, Captain," Spock said into his ear, the hot breath puffing against the mark that very mouth had left on his skin, making his cock stand to attention in his pants.

_Looks like I'm not leaving this spot for a minute._

And then somewhere quieter in his mind: _At least I know he still wants me._  


Kirk cleared his throat.

"We'll have someone take a look at it. I'll need to see where the nearest Starbase is so we can make repairs. The communicator is also acting up."

"That's very unfortunate."

The words were spoken close to his lips now...all Kirk had to do was turn his head and their lips would meet-

"There aren't even any logs to indicate that any Ametians were in sickbay," Areel's voice came from the other side of the table as she scanned through the pages on her PADD. "Either you are all _terrible_ at record keeping, or your computers have just trashed an entire week's worth of information!"

"We're going to salvage it, I need to head back to the bridge so that I can redirect us to the nearest repair center."

"Bridge to Captain Kirk."

Uhura's voice over the 'com.

_Oh God, what now?_

"Kirk here."

"Captain, we are arriving at Planet ICI-9 to deliver the Operray."

"I'm heading back now, Kirk out," he said, hitting the button again.

He smiled to his two companions. Areel looked stressed as she stared up at the information projected on the wall and then back at her screen, trying to make sense of it all. Spock didn't look stressed to the naked eye, but Jim could tell by the stiffness of those kissable lips that he was also feeling the pressure of this challenge.

Kirk wished he knew how to reach out to Spock with the bond...whished that he could once again know his bondmate's heart.

"Don't worry," Kirk said with far more optimism than he felt. "We'll have this all sorted out by the preliminary next week."

 

*10*

 

They didn't have it all sorted out. 

After four days of running around trying to collect files and information to help their case, they couldn't draw up anything of value. Spock had tried to use the seemingly unaffected computer in the science lab to no avail. The computer system not only dumped weeks worth of logs, but also the files of 18% of the personnel records. What made things worse was that according to the computers, there were no repair stations within range, the communicators and computers would have to be fixed after the preliminary hearing. Not to mention the fact that the Viewscreen on the bridge had chosen _now_ to completely shut down, forcing them to fly blind, relying only on their flawed computers to tell them where to go.

The cherry on top for the captain was that he hadn't, in all of this time, had one minute alone with his husband. Like ships in the night, one would come back to their quarters to get some shut eye seconds after the other had just left for the bridge, the lab, the mess or conference room 10. Kirk had had next to no sleep during this time; sleeping without Spock since their relationship began had always been a rare struggle...now with the uncertainty weighing in Jim's lonely mind, he found sleep to be more evasive than ever.

He tried to reach out to Spock with their bond...tried to find a glimpse into Spock's consciousness but found himself shut out. There was no denying it: Spock had locked all of the doors that they had vowed to keep open and all of the technological disasters and court martial nightmares couldn't compare to the immense loss that Kirk was feeling without his beloved.

Amidst the chaos, they still had to beam down McCoy and his medical team from planet to planet for distribution, while Nurse Chapel, Uhura and Chekov interviewed and took blood samples from the 77 people whose files had vanished in an attempt to scrap together some temporary medical records until they could retrieve their original ones.

Jim stared at the blank viewscreen, willing it with his mind to just _work_.

If he had been able to see through it, he would be seeing a dark planet that looked somewhat like glowing Onyx.

"Captain," said Lieutenant Siliana. "Dr. Usui from Ame has made contact on this frequency."

"Patch her through," Kirk said, trying to sound a thousand times more upbeat than he felt.

"Hello, Captain Kirk," said the regal voice of Dr. Usui.

"Hello Doctor, so nice to hear your voice again. Serendipitous, is it not, that we should be in your neighborhood again?"

"It is a pleasure...but may I ask what piece of equipment you will be sending down?"

"It's the Operray, you should hear Dr. McCoy rant about it, he sounds like an infomercial."

"That is most odd, Captain, as Starfleet has already sent a doctor here about a month ago to deliver and demonstrate that very piece of equipment...."

Kirk furrowed his brow.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, Captain. I agree with Dr. McCoy, it really is quite a little machine."

"Just to be clear, we're talking about the little machine that resides on your knuckles?"

"That is correct, Captain."

Jim stared at the blank viewscreen for a long moment, taking in the information. If she already had the machine, then why would Starfleet send them to deliver another one? And why wouldn't all of the neighboring planets have one?

"Doctor, who delivered the Operray to Ame?"

"A Dr. Kabakai."

Kirk put the pieces together in his mind and asked tentatively "When did you say he arrived on your planet?"

"About a month ago, why?"

"And when did the _Snijdend_ virus break out?"

There was silence for a moment before Dr. Usui seemed to catch on to what he was saying.

"About a week after he left."

As though knowing he would be needed at that moment, the doors to the 'lift slid open with a squeak and Bones came strolling through.

"Jim, are we ready to beam-"

"Bones, how long does the _Snijdend_ virus lay dormant before showing symptoms in the host?"

The doctor scrunched up his face and thought.

"About...six to ten days-"

"That must be it then."

Dr. Usui sounded breathless on the other side.

"What's going on?" Bones asked, staring at Kirk, none too happy about being left out of something important.

"We think we might know who planted that virus on Ame. I'll run it by Admiral Dalisay when she gets here."

"Playing taxi again, Captain?" Bones asked.

Kirk snorted.

"No, she's here for the Preliminary hearing."

"I thank you again, Captain for putting your career on the line and saving my people. If you would allow me to, I would love to witness on your behalf," said Dr. Usui.

Kirk's heart lifted with relief. Finally something was going his way.

"I would be so grateful, Doctor. It's been difficult...our computers have gone completely down and there is no record of your distress signal."

"Well then I'll bring a former patient on board...I believe that a standard blood test will show the effects of the virus still."

"You're a godsend, Doctor!"

"Get ready to beam me aboard in an hour. We'll accompany you."

"Will do, thank you again."

 

*11*

 

Kirk strode through the doors of conference room 10 with new energy. Spock and Areel were both staring at a computer screen, the woman shaking her head and Spock staring transfixed by what they were seeing.

Jim took a moment to appreciate how fresh Spock looked. Despite knowing how little Spock had slept these past few days, he looked refreshed and downright beautiful. It made him feel a little self conscious as he himself had quite obviously gotten no sleep in four days and looked thoroughly tortured. Neither of them showed any reaction to Jim's presence, which conjured unease in the pit of his stomach.

"What is it?"

"Admiral Daniels is claiming and you, Dr. McCoy and myself are involved in some sort of illegal trading scheme. With our computer records being as they are now, and communication being as it is, there is no evidence to disprove his theory," Spock said, looking and sounding calm, but his eyes glowing with that silent fury that only Jim would be able to recognize.

"We do now," said Kirk, his eyes glittering.

Both of the other beings in the room turned their heads slowly to look at him.

Kirk told them about his conversation with Dr. Usui and Areel looked like someone had blown new life into her.

She pulled away from the screen and closed the distance between them, hugging him tightly and he could tell that the poor woman had been barely holding it together before he had brought her the good news. He smiled, hugging her back, her relief contagious. He glanced up at Spock and for a split second he saw that the dark eyes were fixed on Kirk's hands that were touching Areel's back...they had an intense possessiveness and anger...or so he thought, but didn't have a chance to observe further because the eyes flickered away, the emotion shielded. Spock stood up.

"Seeing as we have credible witnesses on their way, I will arrange for quarters to be prepared with Ametian qualifications."

Before Jim could say anything, the Vulcan was gone, leaving a very happy Areel, who immediately set about getting witness documentation underway on her PADD and a very unhappy Kirk.

 

*12*

 

Kirk didn't see Spock in the hallway, though he left the room only moments after the Vulcan had. He searched around to find no science blues amongst the few crewman walking by.

Jim couldn't take it anymore, he was ready to break, and when Spock was not available during such occasions there was only one place for him to go.

 

"Is she here already?" McCoy asked from his desk, referring to Dr. Usui no doubt.

"I think Spock's attracted to Areel Shaw," Jim blurted unceremoniously, taking no notice of Nurse Chapel and another medical officer until Bones looked up at them.

"Could you, ah, give us a second please?"

Kirk wanted to bury himself under a rock somewhere...beam down on Ame and live in a cave and never come out, he was so embarrassed.

Once they were gone, Bones fixed him with his signature stare, complete with furrowed brow and hard frown.

"What the Hell are you talking about, Jim?"

Kirk sat in the chair on the other side of the desk miserably.

"I think he may be... _interested_ in Ms. Shaw."

"Sexually."

Well at least he was catching on.

Kirk felt a clench in his gut at the word.

"He's lying to me, Bones. When I first mentioned her as a possible defense attorney, he pretended not to remember who she was, and the moment that I mentioned her, he cut me off from his emotions...."

Kirk didn't know when the Saurian brandy had appeared before him, but he took it gratefully, downing it in one swallow. He nodded at McCoy in thanks, and McCoy simply filled both of their glasses again, making himself comfortable in his chair.

"You should see him, Bones...after working all day, he freshens up before he goes to see her at the conference room...he gets upset when I get close to her...why would he cut himself off from me, Bones? Why would he do that if he wasn't hiding something from me?"

He looked desperately at his friend.

Bones observed him from across the table and took a drink of the brandy.

"Have you talked to Spock about this?"

"We haven't seen each other in days. We're spread thin."

"Well, I'm a Doctor, Jim, not a marriage counselor...but for what it's worth, I think you're dead wrong."

Kirk searched for the comfort in those words, but found only the emptiness where Spock's consciousness usually resided, and felt like weeping in frustration, confusion, exhaustion and rejection.

"Jim," said McCoy seriously. "I never thought that the hobgoblin had it in him to feel anything more than hunger and fatigue...but then I saw that...sappy, lovesick way that he looked at you...and it's just getting worse with time...it's pretty obvious that he's an emotional mess for you."

The doctor took a drink of his brandy.

"I'm not a romantic, Jim, but I've only seen Spock smile for himself twice: the first time was when he found out he hadn't _murdered_ you on Vulcan...and the second time was when he _married_ you on Vulcan, so whatever suspicions you have about his attractions, I think you'd better take it up with your husband."

 

*13*

 

Spock made arrangements, trying and failing to keep his mind on task, but all he could see in his mind's eye was Kirk holding that woman...and that woman audaciously groping at what was rightfully _his_. He clenched at fist in the Turbolift, remembering what he had learned about such emotions. He had been warned about jealousy when he had gone through his training and once more when he had been bonded to T'Pring.

As bondmates, there was no need for shields against emotions from one another, but it was advised by those who had been long bonded to be wary of jealously. It was natural to have a sense of possessiveness over one's mate, but to be jealous brought the malice _to_ the bond instead of _away_ from it.

T'Ping and Spock had done well to keep their minds shut up from one another despite their technical right to explore one another's consciousness without reproach. Spock had never felt anything more than obligation for T'Pring. He had made valiant attempts to try and persuade himself of some possible affection that could be kindled, seeing as he _was_ to be her husband, but found only cold apathy for the pretty girl that their parents had arranged for him.

When he first met Kirk he had felt that -for lack of a better word- _spark_ , the one that Spock knew would easily turn into a roaring inferno if he didn't keep himself tightly shut from it. As time went on, he felt overwhelming feelings of 'friendship' for Jim which had inspired an aching guilt in his heart, not because it didn't feel right, but because it _did_ feel right. His human side had felt guilt and sadness on behalf of his betrothed who waited on Vulcan alone for a husband with a disloyal heart.

Spock had taken to looking at pictures of the girl he had known, knowing that their children would probably bear resemblance and he tried to imagine the beauty that adulthood would have bestowed her, but found nothing that could bar the charismatic Captain from his mind. It had been a slight relief to know that she had another mate now....

But now this _jealousy_...over some woman that Kirk had very short relations with.

It was disgraceful and unfair to his bondmate.

He wanted to reach out through their bond and touch Jim...wanted to caress their bond and feel the closeness, but he knew the wretched feeling would seep through, and Spock didn't want it leaking into their bond until they could sit face to face and discuss it so that the ugly feelings didn't overwhelm his bondmate without warning in the middle of their work.

Being separated from Kirk like this, though, was really taking its toll. He felt a horrid ache in his heart, like a hunger deep inside of him that fed off of his energy, the feeling of loss, the bond pushing against his mind harder every day to find its mate.

He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer.

He stepped off of the lift and walked to the conference room where Areel Shaw had tidied the place up, making it look like a respectable office. Apparently, the promise of witnesses with the potential for blood tests and evidence to support her case had given her an extra boost of energy. She was organizing some information discs while Yeoman Bruke held a tray with tea.

"Oh! Mr. Spock! I was just getting everything ready for the witnesses to create their written statements. Did you want a cup of tea?"

Spock inclined his head graciously, saying "No thank you," and sat at what was now his designated chair.

The Yeoman placed the cup on the table next to the computer. As she reached to take the old mug away, Areel picked up the new mug of tea, their fingers collided and steaming hot water poured onto the Yeoman's naked skin.

"OH! Dear! Are you all right?" Areel cried, grabbing a napkin and placing it on the scorched skin.

Spock observed Yeoman Bruke's face.

It seemed that she hadn't noticed the 200 degree water touch her skin. She hadn't reacted until Ms. Shaw had placed the napkin on the point of injury....

"It's quite alright, Ms. Shaw. I'm used to burns. I'll get you another cup," the shy Yeoman said quietly. She gave Areel a tiny, reassuring smile and walked out with both cups on the tray.

"That poor girl! That water was really hot!"

Ms. Shaw stared after her, a look of concern on her pretty face.

"Transporter room to Mr. Spock, come in Mr. Spock."

It was Scotty.

"Spock here."

"There's somethin' wrong with the Transporter."

"I'll be right there."

 

*14*

 

The doors of the lift opened on the lab floor and Kirk's heart did a backflip when he saw the tall, beautiful Vulcan standing on the other side. He wanted to fling his arms around his lover, as an embrace or to restrain him for information, he couldn't really tell at the moment, all that he cared about now was how annoyed he was that they had company and so he was unable to act on his impulse. Uhura was also in the Turbolift looking exhausted, holding the PADD to her chest and staring aimlessly.

Spock stepped on and stood between Kirk and the Communications officer and the doors slid shut.

They stood in silence, the combined fatigue weighing heavy in the small space.

The heat emanating off of his mate made Jim have to fight not to lean against the tall man beside him. He wanted contact more than anything right now. But he stayed put, waiting for the lift to take them to the Transporter room.

Suddenly, Kirk felt two long fingers stroking the outside of his hand that had been hanging at his side. He didn't have to look to know that it was Spock's and Jim felt himself melting inside. He bit back a groan at how amazing physical contact with his bondmate felt. He adjusted his hand so that he was using two of his fingers to caress Spock's and the heat between them grew as they discreetly intertwined their fingers, the tips touching and feeling.

When the doors finally opened, they let Uhura walk out first, and they followed, shoulder to shoulder, their hands parting from each other reluctantly. Uhura made way for the computers while Spock and Kirk went to the Transporter room.

 

*15*

 

"What do you _mean_ we can't beam them aboard?"

Areel Shaw looked horrified.

Sulu was standing beside her, holding his PADD, looking concerned.

"There is something wrong with the Transporter," Kirk said, trying to sound calm.

Spock had stayed behind to help Scotty try and figure out the problem. Seeing as their computers were compromised, scanning for the problem was impossible.

"Well then get a shuttle down there _now_!"

Jim sighed heavily, his heart heavy with he loss of his only reliable evidence.

"It will take too long. The hearing is tomorrow and we have to be orbiting Beob II by the time of our hearing."

Areel's eyes were wide as she shook her head slowly, the hope fading from her like a sunset.

"Jim, I don't know what to do. We'll have to hope that Judge Zakon will be understanding. Have you informed Starfleet of the ship's condition?"

"Yes, they were informed from the beginning"

"Well then, they should give us more time, at least get your computers back up and running again...I'm just worried that they'll suspect sabotage...."

"Do you _really_ think that a group of educated people would believe that I would go through all of this trouble for an illegal trading opportunity? There's nothing of _value_ on that planet!"

Sulu shook his head.

"But there is, Captain."

The two others looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"The flowers, they're _priceless_. As far as anyone knows, Ame is the only planet that they've ever been found and possibly the only planet where they can grow. Spock and I have been running tests...those flowers can cure anything. They can even adjust conditions so that they suit the needs of a living organism, as we saw in the cave: where Spock was sheltered was _warm_ on a freezing cold planet and the air was breathable even though he was in a cave that had been shut up for who knows how long...."

"Then why would I have reported having found those plants?"

"There is no indication that you _did_ report having found them," said Areel, who now had an elbow on the table, her hand in her hair.

A thought occurred to Kirk.

"Then how do _they_ know now?"

Areel glanced up at him questioningly.

"How do they know the value of the flowers? I've never told anyone beyond my science team what Dr. Usui told me about them and we have only just discovered how greatly important they really are-"

He was quiet for a minute.

"Mr. Sulu you said that the computer in your lab is working just fine?"

"Affirmative, Captain."

"Has anyone else used the computer?"

"No one has touched it besides Spock and me. We have been taking shifts and with everything else going on, no one else has been spared to help us."

"Is it unguarded now?"

"No, sir. It requires either Spock's or my password."

Kirk sighed.

Well there went _that_ theory.

 

*16*

 

Spock, Scotty and Uhura were all manually checking the Transporter wiring, each having taken a section in hopes of discovering the malfunction quickly so as to have their witnesses.

"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock said from where he lay on his back, testing each wire. "What do you know of Yeoman Bruke?"

There was a pause in which, no doubt, she was overcoming her puzzlement at being asked this question at such a peculiar time.

"Um. She's a nice girl. Hardworking. I had to interview her today. Her file was wiped out...she's been with us for a little over a year-"

"I hate to break it to ya, lass, but ye must be thinkin' of someone else," said Scotty's voice from his section.

"What do you mean, Mr. Scott?" Uhura asked from her station.

"Yeoman Bruke is-"

Scotty let out a shout and the Transporter lights flickered.

Spock was there like a shot, finding Scotty unconscious, but alive on the ground, a very worried Uhura kneeling beside him, her eyes wide and both of her hands clutching one of his.

 

*17*

 

They were in orbit of Beob II on time.

After Kirk discussed the situation with Dalisay over verbal communications, they arranged to be beamed down using the transporter on Beob II's guard ship.

Spock walked Kirk, McCoy and Shaw to the useless Transporter room where it had been singled out by the other ship to beam the three of them out.

McCoy and Shaw went ahead, but Kirk and Spock stopped and let the doors shut, Kirk turning to look at the tall figure that always seemed to shadow him.  

"You have the conn, Mr. Spock," said Kirk softly

His heart clenched as the dark, soft eyes bore into his own.

"I will await you here, T'hy'la," Spock said, taking Jim's hand and squeezing it gently, causing his heart to melt.

Spock thought he would break seeing the sadness in those big, gold hazel eyes and knew that keeping his bondmate in the dark was unfair, but tried to think of how much more burdened Jim would be if there was the jealousy pulsing through their bond like venom and he reminded himself that after this, they would be able to talk.

"I will always be here waiting for you," Spock said quietly, planting a soft kiss on the Captain's lips, paying no heed to the fact that they were in the hallway where any passerby could see them. He knew it was unprofessional, but he didn't care. It was far more important to him that he demonstrate with his actions what he could not through their bond at the moment...and it didn't help that Kirk, in his dress uniform, did illogical things to Spock's heartbeat and body temperature...the way it hugged the human's form, accentuating his shoulders and chest...the way those pants hugged his ass...

This was what his Captain had been wearing on their wedding day....

And suddenly he realized that their soft kiss had turned far more heated, Spock's tongue plunging into Kirk's willing and hungry mouth. His hands were on afore mentioned perfect ass, and Kirk had his arms wrapped around the Vulcan's neck, his body pressed against him, hot and needing. Kirk pulled away reluctantly and looked into the Vulcan's eyes, his own bright hazel eyes large and pleading.

"Why are you keeping things from me?"

Spock felt his heart breaking; the betrayal emanating from his bondmate was so potent that their connection was not necessary to read it.

"I will explain everything later, when we have time. But know that I cherish thee and that I _will_ get better control of myself-"

"What does _that_ mean? Control of yourself?"

Kirk's eyes had become large with fear...and was that... _mistrust_?

The sound of an annoyed Dr. McCoy clearing his throat from the doorway, made them pull their attention away from each other and their bodies apart.

"We have to go, Jim."

Kirk nodded and turned away from Spock without another word.

 

*18*

 

Jim found that he couldn't look at Areel without thinking of what may have happened between her and Spock...or what Spock may _want_ to happen...he knew he was jumping the gun and that his suspicions were highly illogical, but he couldn't help it. Why _wouldn't_ Spock go for the hot, young, blonde female who was ambitious and intelligent? He had a thing for that blonde on Omicron Ceti III before their own relationship had begun...so it wasn't entirely out of the question.

"Jim, are you alright?" Areel asked as they stood in the room waiting to be beamed out of the enterprise. 

_No. I think my husband wants to fuck you._

"I'm fine...just nerves."

Shaw nodded in understanding, but said nothing in comfort.

He knew it was because she didn't want to lie.

 

*19*

 

The moment that Spock stepped on the Bridge he called down to Sickbay.

"Bridge to Sickbay, this is Mr. Spock."

"This is Nurse Chapel."

"Nurse, I was calling for an update on Mr. Scott. Has he woken yet?"

"Yes, he woke up around ten minutes ago, good as new. I'm not allowed to release him from Sickbay, though, until the Doctor has had a look at him, but as far as I know there's no long term damage anticipated. He's very lucky...that was quite a shock!"

"Acknowledged. I'm heading down now."

"Oh, uh, alright."

 

When Spock arrived he was greeted by a very irritated looking Scotsman and a very happy Uhura who was sitting at his side, obviously chastising him for his impatience.

"'M fine, Mr. Spock! Why can't I leave?" Scotty asked, obviously annoyed.

"As Dr. McCoy could never override your orders in Engineering, you can not override his in Sickbay."

"Maybe not, but you can!"

"Negative. Unfortunately I too have to abide by the Chief Medical Officer's rules."

Scotty wilted and Uhura patted him on the back.

"Mr. Scott, before you fell unconscious, you were telling us about Yeoman Bruke."

"What about 'er?"

"You were informing Lieutenant Uhura that she had incorrect data about the Yeoman's time on board the Enterprise."

"Which doesn't make any sense, because she was one of the last people I interviewed and I remembered feeling guilty that I hadn't really noticed her working with us for so long..." said Uhura, her lovely eyes fixed in concentration on Spock under long lashes.

"She 'asn't been 'ere that long! She's only been with us fer about a month! She was Mr. Aejeong's replacement when his wife had their bairne! I hired 'er meself!"

"But why would she lie?" Uhura demanded.

"Indeed," was all Spock said before dismissing himself and leaving sickbay. He made his way quickly to the nearest computer to check the roster, and found that Miss Anita Bruke was currently working.

_Good, that gives me time._

 

Sulu and Chekov stood outside of the quarters, not knowing to whom they belonged or why they were there. Spock had not specified, but had simply ordered that they meet him there. When Spock arrived, he was accompanied by two men from engineering, both carrying equipment that neither of  the men could identify. Both of them knew better than to ask what was going on...they would know soon enough as far as both of them were concerned.

The door didn't open when commanded. Spock tried his override and it still didn't open.

_Just as I thought._

He nodded to the two engineers who promptly used the machine to swiftly break into the quarters.

Chekov and Sulu exchanged a concerned look and everyone stood silently when the doors separated and revealed...a completely normal girl room.

Spock nodded to the engineers again, dismissing them.

The First Officer walked in first and looked around, then turned to the two confused looking men.

"I suspect that there is something concealed in this room that is contributing, if not solely responsible, for the technical difficulties the Enterprise has been experiencing. We are going to find it."

"What are we looking for?" asked Chekov. "What would this dewise look like?"

"I cannot be certain. For now, focus on anything that may seem out of place."

"Aye, sir," they both said, and began the hunt.

It took less than ten minutes for Sulu to find the oddity.

He held up a small black mechanical box that had been hiding in the woman's pillowcase.

"It looks like some sort of scrembler," said Chekov. "How do we diseble it?"

"Please put it on the table, Mr. Sulu."

He did was he was told and both men watched eagerly as Mr. Spock approached it, ready to work some kind of Vulcan magic, they were sure.

Spock curled his fingers and pounded the device once using his fist, causing both men to jump.

It was now nothing more than a flat, metal wreck on the table, electricity fizzing like blue lint around it a few times before dying out entirely, a wisp of smoke rising from it.  

They all stared at it for a moment, as though expecting something amazing to happen. But nothing did. Until-

"Bridge to Commander Spock, come in Commander!"

It was Lieutenant Siliana.

"Spock here."

"Commander, the Viewscreen is working again! And communications are functioning again at 100%!"

The three men looked back at the crushed piece of metal and Spock lifted an eyebrow.

"Fascinating. Lieutenant, please check our databases to see if our logs for the past three weeks have been restored."

"Aye, sir."

There was a pause and then.

"Yes! All of the data is back!"

"Good."

Spock pushed another button.

"Security, this is Commander Spock. You are to find Yeoman Anita Bruke without delay and detain her."

 

*20*

 

"I think I have to agree with Ms. Shaw on this matter, Ms. Damu, this whole thing seems ridiculously far fetched," said Judge Zakon from her place at the bench.

"There is no evidence to prove it otherwise," said the tall, ebony skinned attorney, who, Kirk couldn't help but notice, looked more like a supermodel than a lawyer, her long black hair cascading down her back, the gold uniform hugging her figure, it was no wonder he caught Areel subtly clicking open her compact mirror to check her appearance.

Arjana Damu was acting as Commodore Daniel's representation, while the Commodore himself sat at her side, looking nervous as ever. Kirk didn't know if it was the effects of being surrounded by hot lawyers or because the Commodore was downright _lying_ that the man looked so strung out, but he found himself hoping that the highly anxious man would just pass out so that his craziness could just _end_ for a few moments.

"We've already been over this, your honor, the computers on the Enterprise have been in a state of malfunction, and we are sure that if the computers were back up and running we would be able to prove that all of these accusations are nonsense! We've already used the EPS and it has proven that the Captain is, in fact, telling the truth, as is Doctor McCoy!"

"He admitted to drugging the Commodore, why would he do that if he didn't want to keep him from knowing what was going on? And why doesn't he tell us why he passed two planets that have all of the equipment necessary to provide maintenance on the way here."

"The Enterprise has been flying blind-"

"And yet, the Enterprise has been able to make deliveries and show up on time _here_ without any problems. It seems just a little bit too convenient to me that their computers decided to dump the daily logs and information for the past 3 weeks, _right_ when all of _this_ happened."

Kirk sighed internally.

How very convenient indeed.

He hadn't known that they had passed two planets with maintenance capabilities.

God help him he would have relished the help.

 

*21*

 

Spock sat in the Command Chair, staring at the planet below. He shielded the heavy frustration he was experiencing. He had tried contacting the planet...had tried to get a hold of anyone who would allow him to talk to Jim or Ms. Shaw, but no one would allow him to communicate. It seemed that after the doors of  the court were sealed on this planet. They were not to open and allow entry of any other entity in fear that they could bring an un-scanned device that could tamper with the EPS or any other evidence presented. To his dismay, there was no way to communicate with anyone on the inside because communication devices could also be used for tampering purposes.

After taking a moment to decide that this was the best course of action, he closed his eyes and slowly opened the bond.

 

*22*

 

Kirk was listening to the legal bickering between the two lawyers when suddenly he felt dizzy, like he was suddenly getting fresh air on shore leave after acclimating to the recycled air that the Enterprise produced.

Then it hit him like lightning.

Love.

It was overwhelming and it took him a moment to remember to breathe. It was almost like when Spock had solidified their bond, and Jim found that he had to fight a hard on at the memory of that night. Then came the other emotions...worry, excitement, eagerness, anxiety, and then....

Jealousy.

It was like it had been dropped into Jim's mind like a ton of bricks, the emotion stinging the edges of his mind, making him feel sick to his stomach, until he felt his own mind reach and grab for the newly reopened bond, clinging to it tightly and beginning to cycle his own consciousness into it, like two rivers meeting.

He must have gone pale, because Areel was looking at him closely, no longer taking part in the argument she had been having, her brow furrowed in concern.

_T'hy'la..._

Spock...it was Spock....

Jim could have cried he was so happy to have that deep voice brushing through his being.

They were one again...they were one and every shield was gone and James T. Kirk adun t'Spock was whole once more. He could feel through their bond that Spock was experiencing identical elation at the repair of their connection.

_Jim, call for a recess immediately. The computers are back online, and the information proving your case is now readily available._

"Jim, are you alright?" Areel asked, touching his arm as though trying to steady him.

Kirk, speechless, shook his head.

"I'd like to call a short recess-"

"She's stalling, your honor-"

"I agree with Ms. Shaw, the Captain does not look well. I'm calling for a short recess, we will resume in 15 minutes."

 

**23**

 

The Enterprise beamed McCoy, Shaw and Kirk back up with ease.

Judge Zakon had dismissed the ridiculous allegations that he was some kind of smuggler after the presentation of evidence. Unfortunately, Kirk had to go through trial over his decision to "drug" the Commodore, and was being put on suspension until their court date. He was allowed to return to his ship because Vulcan law required that consecrated bondmates never be separated. This left Spock in charge of the Enterprise until his name could be cleared.

This concern was greatly overshadowed by Jim's utter relief at the reconnection of his bond with Spock.

Spock had been _jealous_...he had been jealous of _Areel_...had been worried that Kirk would feel old feelings for her.

Jim kicked himself internally for not thinking that perhaps inviting his old _girlfriend_ to be his attorney might spark some hurt feelings in his beloved...especially since the last time they had parted, which had been before his relationship with his First Officer, they had done so with an intimate kiss....

He waited impatiently as they rematerialized back in the Transporter room. He wanted to explain to Spock that, even back then, he had been in love with Spock, that the kiss back then had meant nothing-

The heated look on Spock's face when Kirk saw him standing at the Transporter controls shut the thoughts up immediately.

Hunger and desire was soaking their bond, while his First Officer stood tall beside a redshirt.

To anyone else, he might have looked bored, but Kirk could see those dark eyes smoldering into his and wondered how the hell no one else was able to see it.

"Doctor, Mr. Scott is now conscious."

McCoy took the hint and bailed. The moment he was gone, Kirk felt a strong hand wrap around his upper arm.

"You get some rest," Kirk managed to get out to Areel before he was dragged to the Turbolift by a very sexy Vulcan.

Jim expected to be jumped the moment that the doors closed, but it didn't happen...though he remained firmly in his First Officer's grip.

"Spock-"

"Jim, I have left Sulu in charge of the Bridge, and it is taking all of my effort not to take you right here in the Turbolift. Your voice does, ironically, unspeakable things to me, T'hy'la, and if you do not refrain from using it until we are in the privacy of our quarters, I fear that we will have a very public sexual encounter."

Kirk beamed and nodded, knowing full well that Spock could feel his excitement.

When the doors open, Spock bee-lined for their quarters, his grip still comfortably firm on Jim's arm.

The doors of their quarters slid shut behind them, and Spock's mouth was covering Kirk's. Kirk opened his mouth in an invitation that his lover eagerly took. Their tongues brushed up against each other as they kissed with aching passion, Spock cradling his face in his hands, begging for their kisses to be deeper. Jim hadn't known how hard his cock was until Spock pushed his own aching erection against his and he let out a desperate cry against the Vulcan's mouth, grasping onto him tightly so that his legs wouldn't give out.

Spock let out a possessive growl and lifted his human, who wrapped his legs around his hips tightly.

Deciding that the bed was clearly too far away, Spock chose the desk to push Kirk onto after using an impatient sweep of his hand to clear it.

The moment Jim was settled, Spock used both hands to practically claw at Kirk's right boot, discarding it and then attacking the other one. Once the pesky shoes had been discarded, he went back to kissing his chosen mate fervently. All the while Kirk undid Spock's pants with surgical precision...no one could ever say that James Kirk didn't work well under pressure. Spock undid Kirk's pants carefully, not wanting to damage the precious garment.

Kirk moaned as he felt the pressure of the cloth against his erection release and his cock stuck proudly out of his undone pants, poking through the slit in his boxers.

"James T. Kirk adun t'Spock," Spock said in his deep sexy voice, his forehead pressed against his lover's. "You are mine, and I am yours."

"Yes, yes..." Jim panted lovingly against his husband's lips.

He could feel the possession, desire and love engulfing him through their bond and knew that his own heart was echoing the feelings.

Deep brown eyes bored into gold hazel ones as Spock pulled Kirk's pants completely off, having to kneel to complete the task and the human felt his skin shiver with anticipation.

Sock rose to his feet and placed a searing kiss against Jim's lips, and Kirk pulled down Spock's pants and underwear, freeing the Vulcan's large, hard member.

Spock slicked his fingers up with his pre cum and kissed Jim deeply as he plunged both fingers into his tight hole.

Jim welcomed the familiar burn of his lover's preparation, aching at the knowledge that they hadn't even shared a _bed_ in nearly a week.

Once Spock felt that his husband was properly prepared, he rubbed the slick cum over his penis, using generous amounts as Jim watched the mouth watering process, the hunger for Spock's cock to penetrate him pulsing against their bond.

Spock positioned his throbbing dick at the hot hole of his beloved, and buried his cock deep inside of his lover in one, smooth, hard thrust.

Kirk cried out, pleasure and a twinge of discomfort echoing over their bond.

Spock hesitated but Jim laced his fingers into the soft, jet black hair and pulled Spock into a ravenous kiss and the Vulcan could feel the familiar impatience through their bond.

He obliged by pulling out to the head and slamming back into him, the heat around his dick making him go into an intense frenzy, some primal side of him demanding that he claim his mate.

Spock held onto Kirk's thighs firmly and began thrusting into his lover hard, rocking his hips in such a way that he hit his bondmate's prostate every time. Jim moved to match his husband's thrusts, clutching his body against Spock's, his cries muffled against the science blues as he was fucked mercilessly on the desk.

Suddenly Spock's hands were clutching Kirk's perfect ass, lifting him with ease and pushing himself even deeper into the delicious heat and trapping Kirk's cock tightly between their clothed bellies. Kirk's mouth dropped open, his voice lost in the ecstacy of it all, and Spock took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, and continued fucking his mate deeply until Kirk found his voice to let out one last trembling wail of completion as he came hard between them, hot cum splashing against their skin, his body closing in around his lover's cock.

Spock lasted one thrust longer than his bondmate, filling Jim up with hot, Vulcan cum.

He slowly carried his completely exhausted husband to the bed, and flopped them both onto it. Jim burrowed under the covers and tugged at Spock so that he would join. They shed the rest of their clothes under the sheets, their bodies tangled together the way their minds were. Feeling safe and happy in each other's arms and minds, they drifted to sleep.

 

*24*

 

To Kirk's surprise, they weren't woken in the morning by the buzz of the alarm, nor the high pitched whistle of the Bridge calling to Spock...Jim was woken by the soft whispers of thought, rays of love shining on him like sunrise through curtains. He let his eyes open slowly and found two dark eyes looking back at him, and he felt warm affection radiating from them.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Jim," the Vulcan murmured sleepily.

Kirk smiled at him, lifting his hand to comb his fingertips through his soft black hair.

"I wake when you wake, isn't that right?"

Spock had his eyes closed, indulging in his lover's touch like a great cat, a tiny smile on his lips that would have gone unnoticed by anyone else besides his mate.

"Did you sleep well?" he purred.

"The best sleep I've had all week," Jim replied.

I was the truth. He had barely slept at all during the whole ordeal, and after a night of thorough lovemaking and _sleeping_ in Spock's arms, he felt like an entirely different person.

"You have the day off," Kirk said, pulling closer to the warm slender body. Spock draped an arm over Jim's hip and bumped their noses together affectionately.

"Indeed. We have shore leave."

"I have you all to myself today."

Jim tried to sound cheerful, but he knew he wasn't fooling Spock, whose eyes opened again to observe his human.

"The odds that you will be back on duty after your trial are highly in your favor."

Kirk nodded, and tried not to look concerned, but knew that Spock was reading his feelings like a magazine.

"I'm sorry, T'hy'la...I was not there when you needed me...I couldn't control my thoughts...when it comes to you, rationality gives way to emotion with very little fight."

"I just wish you had _told_ me...I'm sorry, Spock. I was foolish not to take your feelings into consideration. I suppose I just don't think about Areel that way anymore, so I didn't think twice about it. It was natural for you to feel jealous...I was jealous too...."

Spock lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You seemed to be spending a lot of time with her...always offering to do things with her so that I wouldn't have to...I misinterpreted it as attraction...and then you closed the bond- which is _not_ allowed _ever_ again, Spock."

Jim was using his command voice now, and his hazel eyes were glowing with determination, staring straight into Spock's.

"It will not happen again...I went against our promise...I wanted to protect you."

"Whatever we struggle with, whatever obstacles we face, we do so together, Mr. Spock. _That_ is the agreement."

"Forgive me Captain, I was foolish and weak."

"You're going to have to make this up to me," Kirk sighed playfully, laying on his back and stretching so that the sheets fell from his naked body. He could feel Spock's eyes slowly traveling down as the golden flesh was exposed, and he loved it.

Before Spock, he had won over women from all over the galaxy...exotic women from uncharted territory...the kind of women that would have other men groveling, but _nothing_ made him feel sexier than when Spock's eyes were on him. He hummed happily as warm lips met his, the slender hand dipping down to touch his naked skin and he was reminded once again that he would trade everything for this man. No contest.

 

There was shore leave that day on Kommer 9, and the crew decided to have dinner in the fresh air of the richly wooded planet.

They sat around a table with a bonfire built in the middle. Chekov, Sulu, Uhura, Scotty, McCoy and Shaw were all there to celebrate Kirk's "Non-Smuggler" status, Scotty's good health, and Areel's victory. It was a beautiful night, and Jim could feel Spock's hand on his thigh, his own hand resting atop it, their bond open and healthy. Scotty was telling them the highly dramatized version of how he had been electrocuted, when Kirk glanced across the table, catching Uhura giving him a sly smile as her eyes directed themselves pointedly at the Captain's neck, where he knew Spock had facetiously risen two fresh love bites. 

Jim narrowed his eyes at his lover playfully, while Spock looked back at him, knowing full well what the chastising look was for, and the smug Vulcan looked downright _pleased_ with himself. They intertwined their fingers under the table and continued focusing on Scotty's tale, exchanging an unspoken vow that they would _never_ keep things from one another again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Okay, so I made some random shit up because I couldn't find anything in Memory Alpha that could help me...I know...cheesy name too, Operray *shivers* but, sadly, it was the best I could come up with. The Vulcan that I used may not be canon, if not, sorry, I've been trying to compare sites, and this is the best that I could do. I'm a little bit obsessed with staying as close to the original material as possible...I'm a purist and a very picky one at that. I am also strangely uncomfortable with writing accents...though I can't seem to keep myself from doing it...so, SORRY (not sorry)!
> 
> "**" means sexy time if you ever experience the need to re-read this.
> 
> PS: I post about progress on all of my ongoing work on cutiebiz.Tumblr.com  
> Reach out to me if you need something!


	4. The Fruit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some romantic, pervy (so much porn) k/s GUSHINESS (so so much fluff) for you all! Sorry about the long wait! 
> 
> So maybe I'm deviated from canon a little, but damn it, these two will live happily ever after!! 
> 
> This one took me a lot longer to write because I had to write it over again...the majority of the first draft of this chapter was destroyed and starting over was a lot harder than I had expected...like trying to put together a loaf out of breadcrumbs....
> 
> I have zero intention of posting work for the sake of posting it: either it's to my personal standards or it will not be posted! I thank you all for your immense patience. 
> 
> ...So much porn...I'm such a perv....
> 
> Click on the Vulcan, I have the translations for you.

**1**

Spock stared at the sleeping figure that was draped over him. Kirk's hair was rumpled from sleep, his long lashes cast down against tan skin, and his arm was flung across Spock's chest. Spock had been reading a report on his PADD in their bed beside Kirk who had been reviewing notes that he and Areel had compiled together on his own PADD. It had been pleasant simply being in each other's company.

After Spock had taken the position of Acting Captain whilst Kirk was on suspension, they had seen very little of each other. Spock didn't mind the work, of which there was plenty now that he was doing both the roles of a Captain and a Science Officer...it was the time spent away from Jim that made it nearly unbearable. The Vulcan found that cutting out morning meditation and lunch enabled him to get to his T’hy’la earlier to share dinner together, and if he did "Paperwork" after meditation, cutting his sleeping hours, he could share breakfast and a shower with his bondmate.

It had become their routine for the past couple of weeks: dinner, evening meditation while Jim would read, and then they would slip into bed together, each with a PADD, Spock sitting up with one arm around his human who would lay against his naked chest. They would remain like that for a while, the Vulcan working on official work while the human prepared for the court martial. It was pleasant and peaceful, and yet so often Spock would have to fight off his desperate desire that claimed him in the presence of his beautiful mate...the desire to take what was his again and again…

He would watch as Jim would walk from one side of the room to the other, slipping on a shirt, kneeling to pick up their discarded clothes, or pouring them each a cup of coffee...little everyday things that he did with unintentional grace and Spock would feel  _ love _ and  _ lust _ and  _ passion _ for this person from another world....

And there would be so much  _ desire _ ...so much  _ want _ ...

He knew that Kirk could feel it...knew that Kirk wanted it just as badly...but they could do nothing about it...there was simply no time.

Jim never complained...he didn't want to pressure Spock more than was necessary, knowing (hoping) that the situation was temporary. So he contented himself by snuggling up beside his husband, relishing the warmth that the body radiated, the way that Spock's fingertips would unconsciously card through his hair...and then they would fall asleep that way, curled up in each other's embrace.

Now staring at his sleeping lover, Spock's eyes roamed over the features that he had long ago memorized having thought, at the time, that one day they would part….

It wasn’t often that Spock appreciated being wrong. 

[ _ My T'hy'la...t'nash-ve goh...my only.... _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151262095313/tnash-ve-goh-belonging-to-me-mine-only)

The sentiments flowed through their bond before he gently pressed his lips against Jim's...as soft as their first kiss....

He had not intended to wake him, but inevitably, the bond had alerted the human, whose eyes were opening slowly, finding Spock's.

_ Forgive me,  _ [ _ ashayam _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151261939798/ashayam-beloved) _ ; I did not mean to wake you.... _

Kirk simply smiled warmly response...an expression that never failed to get Spock's heart racing.

It was a smile that only Spock got to see....

James T. Kirk, the great flirt and charmer (before he was married) would flash any woman a smile that would have her waiting at the door of his chambers within the hour. He could give a man a wink and said man would feel as though he was in on some kind of secret...part of some exclusive club. But this warmth...the way his eyes seemed to change....

_ You're the only one who makes me feel this way.... _

Spock blinked, having forgotten about their skin to skin contact and he could feel himself blushing at the overly emotional private thought being overheard.

_ He is my T'hy'la...I am allowed.... _ Spock reminded himself.

He then felt a swell of pride for this bondmate at having utilized their physical contact to send a message.

_ You're improving, adun. _

Jim frowned.

_ You can always hear my thoughts when we're touching...I need to learn how to do it when we're _ **_not_ ** _.... _

_ It still takes discipline to send specific thoughts when we're touching...to make them more prominent than the rest.... _

His stubborn perfectionist of a husband simply shrugged, and Spock could feel that Jim didn't think himself worthy of the complement.

The Vulcan shared his genuine pride for his lover wordlessly through their bond and a somewhat shy smile was back on that beautiful face.

Spock pulled Kirk closer, letting his fingertips brush over the skin of his cheek affectionately, the feeling of his breath against his lips making his body and mind react with enthusiasm...the hardness against his leg and the desperate want from Kirk's side of their bond let him know that the feeling was mutual.

Spock buried his hands in the auburn hair kissed him slowly, brushing his fingertips over the melding points on Kirk's head making the human whimper with want.

_ Not yet,  _ [ _ k’diwa _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151262585878/kdiwa-beloved-shortened-form-of-address-for) _.... _

He let his hand trail down to take a handful of the Terran's delectable ass that was clad in cotton boxers, and rolled his hips, grinding their hard dicks against each other, their lips locked together, kissing, licking, nipping, possessing... _ hungry _ ....

The Vulcan felt his lover let out a trembling breath each time his erection brushed up against his own, their combined excitement and passion singing through the bond.

_ You never cease to amaze me, beloved…. _

Spock rolled on top of his mate and pulled down his chosen's boxers, slipping them off from around the elegant ankles before returning to kiss his lifemate again with renewed fervor, pressing his body against Jim's, his own boxers still on.

The human's hands touched and roamed over the Vulcan's skin, absorbing the feeling and the scent of it...pulling Spock closer to him. He wrapped his legs around the slim waist, his body an open invitation. He took Spock's tongue in his mouth and sucked earning him a filthy moan from his usually collected First Officer.

Jim reached out, touching the Vulcan's face softly and Spock could hear his mate calling to him through his skin, desperate and longing....

_ Make love to me...take me...have me...I'm yours...only yours... _

Kirk's thoughts were becoming more jumbled, his overwhelming impatience pushing in at the edges of the thought and his desire joining Spock's, consuming their minds like a flame.

Spock pulled down his boxers enough to fully release his heavy erection. He reached down and took himself in his hand, stroking and coating himself with the natural lubrication, watching his lover writhe in anticipation beneath him. 

_ Yes...yes...I want you inside of me.... _ Jim's mind urged.

_ I must prepare you- _

Kirk reached out and pulled his husband into a kiss, his fingers tangling into the thick black hair...that fire licking out at Spock, ready to ignite.

Spock took the hint and lined himself up and held onto Jim’s hips, watching his lover's face closely for any sign of discomfort as he eased himself inside.

Jim bit his lip as he welcomed the familiar ache of the Vulcan’s member working him open, staring into those dark, expressive eyes. It didn't take long for the Vulcan to slide all of the way inside, the discomfort in his mate giving way to pleasure as he filled him up with his hard cock, the emotions echoing through their bond as they both sighed with the contact that they had both been so hungry for. 

"Oh, Spock..." Kirk moaned as his husband gently kissed his lips, his hands slipping up his body to caress his hair and entwine their fingers. 

Spock pulled out and thrust deeply, rolling his hips at a leisurely pace, licking between Kirk's lips and kissing him sensuously, his pleasure mounting with every sweet moan and whimper that came from his beloved's panting mouth....

The Vulcan growled deeply as he aimed for that sweet spot deep inside of his husband and heard with satisfaction Jim let out a trembling cry dripping with lustful delight, tightening his legs around Spock's waist. 

They hadn't been able to make love like this since Spock had taken on the position of Acting Captain. It was his first day off in a while, and though he still intended on catching up on work, he was going to bask in his bondmate as much as he could  _ while _ he could.

They kissed and moved together, drinking each other in as they had not been able to, but as they had yearned to.

Spock stroked the hair away from Kirk's meld points, his fingers locking into place, their bond joining their minds with seamless ease.

Just like that, they were one: body and soul...their combined essence encompassing them in the warm white glow of all that they shared...all that they were...as a whole...as it should have been and always would be....

_ I cherish thee, Jim... _

Spock could hear Kirk's heart beating alongside his...could hear his breathing, hitching with every thrust...could feel where their skin pressed together...where their bodies were joined...perfect, like two halves of a whole....

_ I love thee...we shall never be parted.... _

Their thoughts and emotions intertwined, touching and twisting around each other much like their bodies, whispering, amplifying the intensity of their physical union and Spock could feel Jim's pleasure coursing through him as Spock rocked into his open lover. The head of his penis rubbed against Kirk's prostate with every thrust, the tip producing more lubrication allowing the Vulcan to thrust harder and deeper. Jim cried out with each push, his hips coming up to meet Spock's, his hands grasping at his husband's back, sweat creating a sheen over his body. The scent of Kirk's perspiration sent the Vulcan into a possessive frenzy as he buried himself inside of Jim, giving in to the exquisite pleasure of the tight heat that surrounded his engorged cock...giving himself over to Kirk the way that he had never done with anyone else and never would.

_ Spock...I love you...I love you....  _

Kirk could feel them both coming close to the edge. He grasped onto his husband tightly and let out a whorish moan when he felt hot fingers wrap around his hard dick, still slick with lubrication. It didn't take long before Jim was coming hard, his body wrapped around Spock's, his beloved's name on his lips, his toes curled.

Spock felt Kirk's orgasm ripple through their bond, sending electric sparks through their shared consciousness. Jim's body closed around his lover's member, causing Spock to follow his mate into completion, groaning deeply as he spilled his seed deep inside of his husband.

Their bond rang peacefully like wind chimes after a storm, their urgent need to join fulfilled for the time being.

Spock dropped to his lover's side, both of them gasping for breath. Their meld gently evaporated, but their bond was still warm and exceptionally strong from it. The Vulcan wrapped his human in his arms, pulling their covers up around them. Jim kissed Spock softly on the lips and released a deep sigh of contentment. Spock stroked Kirk's skin, gazing into his lover's sweet hazel eyes which were beginning to drift shut again.

"What time is it?" Jim murmured aloud, snuggling into the taller man's neck.

"Approximately 0432," Spock replied softly, taking in the addicting scent of his bondmate, his fingertips brushing over the skin of his naked shoulder, his lips pressing against Jim's neck which was still damp with perspiration.

"Do you think we woke the neighbors?" the human asked with a tiny smirk on those kissable lips.

"You  _ are _ quite vocal,” Spock responded.

Spock could feel the huff against his skin that he knew to be a tiny chuckle from his lover.

“Sorry,” Kirk giggled. 

“No you’re not,” the Vulcan corrected impulsively. 

“No, I’m not,” Jim agreed, kissing his husband’s neck. “But neither are you.”

Spock’s lips came up in a tiny smile in the darkness. 

No, he wasn’t. 

*2*

Jim watched as Spock slid on his science blues over his black thermal undershirt and sighed internally.

They had fallen asleep, naked and folded together and had slept in until 0745, which was pretty good considering Spock's usual idea of sleeping in was 0600.

It was Spock's day off, yet he was heading to the labs anyway in hopes of catching up on work. Kirk didn't like the idea of him working this much and noticed that his husband had not been getting that much sleep nor was engaging in his regular morning meditation.

Jim didn't reprimand him though, knowing full well that if it had been himself in this situation, he would be doing the same.

They had taken a shower together...one which took much longer than usual...but what could he say? Spock's naked body covered in hot water did things to him...he could hardly be blamed for being unable to keep his hands to himself. 

Spock engaged in a half of an hour of mediation at the urgings of his lifemate and even had some breakfast before getting dressed in his standard uniform.

Spock noticed Jim watching him and approached his husband, who sat at the table in civilian attire, trying not to pout.

All semblance of emotional privacy, however, had long been wiped away with the forging of their bond.

"Jim..." Spock said softly.

"No, Spock. Do what needs to be done," Kirk said, giving his husband a genuine smile. "I'll be waiting...."

Spock reached out and cupped Jim's face in his hand, his deep maple eyes peering into complex hazel. Love breathed through their bond, and Kirk turned into the tender touch. He reached up and took Spock's hand, bringing his fingertips to his lips in a soft kiss before releasing them.

"Get to work, Acting Captain," Jim said with a half grin, causing Spock to take him by the shoulders and kiss him on his clever mouth.

They lingered like that for awhile, their lips moving together, Kirk's hands buried in the jet black hair, Vulcan hands slipping up under his shirt, tracing his muscles. They parted, both panting, their lips still brushing against each other, wanting.

"I am having trouble resisting the urge to take you on this table before I leave..." Spock said in a low growl against Jim's open mouth.

"I'm having trouble coming up with a reason why you shouldn't..." he retorted breathlessly, his fingers brushing through the straight black strands.

The corners of Spock's mouth twitched as he took Kirk's lips again, nipping at the bottom lip the way he knew made his bondmate squirm-

The high pitched chime of their vid com brought their actions to a reluctant halt.

"Science lab to Commander Spock."

"That's for you, mister," Jim said quietly.

Spock's frustration at being interrupted was only evident through their bond as he walked calmly to the vid com and hit the button.

"Spock here."

"Good morning, Commander," Sulu said, his eyes bright with bridled excitement. "You said to tell you when the first seedlings of the Ametian flowers sprouted...well, they have, sir."

Kirk could feel through their bond that Spock was suddenly very interested.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm on my way."

He hit the button and the screen went black once more.

Spock turned to Kirk who gave him a sly smile, his eyes glinting with that lustful flame that singed at the corners of Spock's consciousness through their bond.

"See you tonight, Mr. Spock."

Those words lingered with Spock as he made his way to the Science lab. He had to use all of his Vulcan discipline to bring down his erection before entering the lab to greet Sulu.

*3*

After trying to re-read the line over again for the 20th time, Kirk decided to have a break. He had been at it for over four hours now, and despite having made magnificent progress, he was slowing down significantly.

He sighed as he thought of the workload that Spock must be enduring right now to keep up with the constant demands. He could feel Spock going about his business. The project with the Ametian flowers was captivating to the Vulcan...he could feel Spock hard at work, the bond filled with fascination, his mind whirring like a machine. He smiled to himself, basking in the amazing sense of his bondmate deep inside of his mind, heart, and soul. He felt a sudden wave of deep affection as Spock had felt his sentiments from the other side of the ship and was returning them.

He looked back at the paperwork that he was (secretly) doing for Spock (who didn't know) on the screen and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't really supposed to be seeing any of this, what with him being on suspension...but a perk to being a brilliant hacker was that access codes were simply a shortcut....

He couldn't stand by and allow Spock to carry on as he had been...working too much and getting barely any rest...

He wouldn't miss a little paperwork here and there....

_ And what, exactly, did they expect? _ Jim rationalized.

They had him confined to quarters and sickbay, and was only allowed in the gym if he had an escort. On top of it all, Areel was on an errand with Dr. Usui, and Jim didn’t know when they would return. 

He had nothing better to do...if they didn't want him hacking into the system, then perhaps they should have given Spock and him a vacation until the court martial....

_ Maybe a planet with a nice beach _ .... Kirk mused.

He took a breath and decided to take another stab at reading the reports just to find that the words had somehow transformed into fuzzy caterpillars. He frowned in defeat, coming to the conclusion that perhaps working on something else might help to freshen his mind.

He glanced over at the little bowl of fruit on the table.

Areel had picked it up on Tibus II, along with fresh cheese and wine. It was refreshing to have something  _ real _ ...something that came out of the honest to goodness  _ ground _ and not a  _ machine _ .

The bowl had an assortment of fruits from different origins and a lovely green apple gleamed triumphantly at the top of the pile.

Kirk reached for it, an idea occurring to him.

"Focus on one thing. Something simple," Spock had said.

In a loving attempt to keep his impatient human's mind constantly occupied, Spock had been giving Jim little mind exercises to help him strengthen his communicative abilities through the bond.

_ He knows me so well. _ He thought affectionately.

Kirk had spent all of his free time putting the lessons into practice, but so far had been unsuccessful at sending Spock any specific messages...though, as Spock had pointed out, he  _ had _ gotten better at focusing and getting sentences, images and ideas across when they were  _ touching. _

_ It's not enough.... _ Jim thought as he turned the apple over in his fingertips.

What had happened on Ame could have separated him from Spock forever, and he had been able to do  _ nothing _ to prevent this from happening. Kirk stared determinedly at the apple. He was never going to let that happen again. Ever.

"Focus on your senses," Spock had said. "How it looks, how it feels."

Jim steadied his mind and observed the apple, touched it with his fingertips.

His mother had grown apples like this in her orchard...though this one was smaller than the ones that she would grow. Winona Kirk had a green thumb...had a way of  cultivating things from anywhere and had an impressive collection of exotic fruits from other planets that her husband had brought back to Earth for her.

Jim took a bite of the apple. It tasted slightly different from the ones he had grown up with as well. He chewed and allowed the sweet flavor to coat his tongue....

His mother had been blessed with two rowdy boys who had a penchant for coming home covered head to toe in dirt and trouble.

_ Idle hands are the devil's playground. _ Jim recalled his mother's favorite phrase.

Winona put her boys to work in the orchard, tending to the various fruits and berries with the promise of a pie, tart, or some other treat for dessert. It was in their mother's orchard that Sam's love for biology had developed...he had been captivated by how the butterflies would change color after drinking from the flowers of the  Marderian white root...the way that the ground around the Koritian honey vines would be frozen all year long, or the adorable purring noise the bush from Miv X would make when being watered.

Jim's interest in the plants had been completely separate from Sam's...he had loved hearing his father tell the stories about  _ how  _ he had obtained these exotic plants...the white root had been a gift from the ambassador of Marder to George, promising health and good fortune to him and his family. The crew from a Mivitian starship had offered the bushes as gifts of thanks to the crewman who had delivered their ship from danger after losing engine control. The men who received the bushes had been startled by their little noises...something that the Mivitian crew found hilarious. The stories had inspired Jim to look at the night sky a completely different way...it was more than beautiful...it was  _ vast _ .

_ Look at me now.... _

Here he was, in space, eating an apple that tasted like childhood...like his mother's homemade pie...like his father telling his family stories....

Kirk suddenly felt a strong surge of encouragement coming through their bond, urging him to continue....

_ He's listening! He can hear me! _

His heart sped up with excitement.

_ Apple apple apple apple apple apple apple!! _ He practically yelled in his mind.

The high wail from the vid com interrupted his concentration.

"Communications to Captain Kirk," Uhura's voice said.

"Kirk here."

"Lady Amanda Sarek is requesting a personal visual conference."

"Pipe her through in...uh...just one moment...."

"Aye, sir," Uhura responded, a knowing tone in her voice.

He quickly glanced in the mirror; he was in civilian clothes, but he still looked respectable...or so Spock had seemed to think this morning-

Jim sealed the thought away quickly before a guilty blush could form.

He sat in front of the computer and a second later Amanda Sarek was offering her little half smile to him.

"Lady Sarek. You look as lovely as ever," Kirk said, giving her his most charming smile.

She lifted an eyebrow in a perfect rendition of her son...or perhaps, all this time, her son was a perfect rendition of  _ her _ .

Jim still held steadfast to his theory that Spock wasn't so much half  _ human _ as he was half  _ Amanda _ .

"And  _ you _ look like I just caught you doing something you weren't supposed to," she quipped, her blue eyes narrowing playfully.

Kirk knew that the look on his face must have said “Caught!”, because Amanda let out a genuine laugh.

"Oh relax, Captain. How can you possibly be surprised? I raised Spock, after all, and I had to be able to tell when that adorable Vulcan face of his was  _ lying _ !"

Jim chuckled, staring at his lovely mother-in-law.

"No, I've just been helping myself to Spock's work files to see if there was anything I could help him with now that I've been...bestowed a little extra time," he said genially.

"I caught you hacking into Spock's computer."

They grinned at each other for a moment, Kirk looking over the face of the woman who had brought the life that meant most to him into the world....Spock was so different from her, but there was so much of her in him....

Jim hadn't really had a chance to get to know Lady Amanda when she was on board the ship with Sarek....He was only able to get a little glimpse into her personality, and though he had, from that point, gained an enormous amount of respect for the strong woman, he hadn't really gotten a chance to converse with her on a personal level....Of course, back when they first arrived on the ship, though they were in a relationship, he and Spock had not yet been bonded....

But, God help him, Jim had  _ wanted _ to be....

Since he and her son had married, she and Jim had been in constant contact and she had been present at their  [ _ Van-Kal T’telan _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151265162368/van-kal-ttelan-ceremony-of-bonding) . Kirk found her to be remarkably wise, but also a lot of fun, and Amanda was obviously enjoying having another human to talk to.

Not surprisingly, their conversations were mostly about her son. Though Spock spoke with her often, it was usually in short sessions, and were more of an exchange of information than they were an actual conversation: Amanda was able to get the gist of Spock and Kirk's health, and whatever projects they were working on, but nothing more. From Jim she was able to get the inside scoop on how her son was really doing...a luxury she had been missing out on ever since Spock had joined Starfleet and now one that she could finally indulge in thanks to her son-in-law.

"I don't judge you, Jim; I know how much you hate being cooped up like this."

"It's not so bad; I still have things to do," he reassured her.

"Well if there's anything Sarek and I can do to help, you know you can always come to us...we are so grateful for what you've done for us and our son...."

"Thank you, Amanda," Jim said with genuine gratitude.

This whole stupid thing was just one big mess, but he didn't feel lonely in it. He had support and people who cared about him...no matter how this all turned out with the court martial, he was still a lucky man.

"If you need me to, I could always be there to testify what the  [_tel_ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151265547188/tel-bond) does to us when our bondmate is in danger..." she said, her eyes steadfast on his.

Kirk knew that she was referring to her behavior the last time she and Sarek were on the ship....

She hadn't exactly been  _ pleasant _ when her husband was on the verge of death...especially not to Spock, which is something that Kirk was still struggling to forgive her for.

Nevertheless, now he  _ understood _ . He hadn't been pleasant or logical either when he thought he had lost Spock on Ame....

"I might take you up on that," he said softly.

"How is he?" Amanda asked, her soft blue eyes narrowing.

"He's...tired. This whole thing has put a lot of strain on him, but nothing he can't handle."

She stared at him expectantly from the screen and he knew that she wanted to hear what every mother wanted to hear about their child.

In an effort to give her a legitimate answer, he took a moment to focus on feeling the bond...feeling Spock's busy mind...his concentration...his light. 

"He's happy," he confirmed.

Her face split into a brilliant smile.

"Well, I'll let you get back to sneaking around. Do tell my son I called."

"I shall, Lady Amanda."

"Take care of yourself, Jim...so that you can take care of him."

The screen went back to the file that he had been picking through and he stared at where her image had been.

It took a moment before he realized what he was actually looking at...the file...the words that seemed to have no meaning to Kirk's tired mind suddenly had meaning once more....

He reread the line to confirm before standing up and exiting their quarters.

*4*

"Bones!"

Dr. McCoy nearly choked on his brandy as he swirled around in his chair, his eyebrows brought together with concern.

"What is it, Jim?" he demanded, standing up and looking the younger man over, trying to find the problem.

"Is it true? Anita Bruke-"

The doctor held up his hand to stop him and released a long suffering sigh, his face and body visibly relaxing.

"Bones-"

"Before you go any further, Jim, I have to tell you that I cannot share any classified information about anything happening on this ship with anyone who does not have authorization. The situation that you were attempting to discuss is classified. You do not have the authorization to be asking me any of this and I don't have the authorization to tell you. I could be removed from this ship."

He motioned for Kirk to sit down before pulling out another glass and pouring brandy into it.

The doctor sat on the opposite side of the Captain and pushed the drink over to him, taking a hearty pull of his own.

"That being said, what do you want to know?" he asked, pouring himself another.

"Anita Bruke is a  _ cyborg _ ?"

"Yes. We just found out last night...."

"Have you gotten her to talk at all? About who she was working for?"

McCoy shook his head.

"No...we  _ did _ try to hack into her systems though...she destroyed our equipment. Then we tried to at least disable her-power her down so we could observe her and Scotty got another nice shock for his efforts."

"Is he alright?"

"Did you see him in sickbay?"

"No."

"Huh. He must have escaped," Bones muttered, taking another drink of his brandy.

"Couldn't have been  _ that _ hurt, then," Kirk chuckled, looking at the brandy but not drinking it. "Did she say  _ anything _ ?"

"Yeoman Bruke?"

"Yes."

"Not a peep."

"She could have an accomplice...she could be transmitting data to someone now as we speak," Kirk said mostly to himself.

"Do you think Commodore Daniels is involved in this at all?"

"Of course. She started aboard this vessel a week before he was picked up to be taken to the MOA on Milligon 4 and was the one with the scrambler that ensured that anything the Commodore said couldn't be disproved."

"But why would the Commodore want to get rid of you so badly? I understand that you're not exactly his favorite person, but he seems to be  _ after _ you, Jim."

"I don't know...but something strange is going on and I need to get to the bottom of it."

"Speaking of getting to the bottom of things, Jim, you haven't touched your drink."

"It's barely lunchtime."

"You don't have to partake, just don't judge," McCoy responded, drinking down the rest of his glass.

"Rough night?"

"Put up wet. Last night we had a kid from engineering come in bat shit crazy...saying he could see the future. He died an hour later. Turns out he was on  _ Silyeog _ .”

When Kirk looked confused, he added “It’s a drug...and then that girl...being what she is....We've seen androids, but it's not the same, Jim. Those were made from scratch...robots from the get, but Anita Bruke was a  _ person _ once...there's nothing under her skin anymore but meat and machine...from what I can tell from her skin samples, she must have died a while ago...someone has turned her into a walking corpse....What's the point? With that kind of technology, why not just build an android?"

"She was in Starfleet...they must have needed someone to have at their disposal...someone with fingerprints and human eyes for iris scans...someone who was already in the system...."

A thought occurred to him and he looked intently at the doctor.

"Has she made any attempts to escape? Do you think she could use her programming to hack into the doors where she's held?"

McCoy shook his head.

"No, we have her restrained...that's how we found out what she was. It's standard procedure for those who enter the Brig for anything longer than 48 hours to be medically examined...she refused, so I intervened and had her strapped down. As for the doors and the mechanized restraints, Scotty has the Brig and a few other doors rigged into another system separate from the Enterprise's main database...ever since a certain  _ Vulcan First Officer _ decided to take a joyride with her a while ago, he's taken the extra precaution."

"Pity he didn't do that for the entire ship, we wouldn't be in this mess," Kirk said. "I'll have to have a talk with him about establishing something like that in the future....This thing runs deep, Bones...."

"Have you talked to Admiral Daya about any of this?"

Jim shook his head.

"Not yet. I think I'll wait until we can talk face to face without the fear of our conversation being tapped into...."

"Good point."

Kirk took a moment to look over his friend from where he sat.

"Bones, had you had anything to eat since starting in on the brandy?"

"If you want to pester someone about eating, Jim, go pester your husband. I've been trying to get him to eat lunch every day since he took command."

"Tattle tailing won't get you off the hook, Bones," but Jim furrowed his brow, concerned now. "He hasn't been eating?"

"Doesn't even leave the Bridge. Stubborn as a mule, your taller half."

The younger man sighed and nodded, coming to a decision.

"I'll try to...persuade him...."

"You do that."

Kirk stood up and headed for the door, then turned to his very tired best friend who smiled at him from the desk.

" _ Eat _ something, won't you?"

"Of course, Jim. I'm a doctor, not a 21st century beauty queen."

**5**

"We're almost done synthesizing the original Ametian flowers into a vaccine...would you like us to begin computer sample testing?" Sulu asked, looking exhausted.

The work with the little glowing flowers had been a labor of love for the Helmsman, and just like the rest of the senior crew, he simply never knew when to say no to extra work.

"Negative," Spock said, looking into the microscope. "These new specimens are different from the originals...we have yet to discover why; it is best to proceed once we are certain that the original flora can be reproduced.”

"Aye, sir," Sulu said, taking off his protective goggles. "I'm going to get lunch, would you like anything from the mess?"

"No, thank you, Lieutenant," the Vulcan responded without leaving his spot.

He heard the doors squeak shut and knew that Sulu had left. Spock was hungry, but busy. He filed his hunger away in his mind and focused his attention on the sap under the microscope.

The new flowers that had begun to sprout were similar to the samples that they had brought from the Ametian surface, but not identical. After further investigation, they discovered that there were several long term beneficial properties that the new buds had to offer, but nothing as drastic as the Ametian flowers that they had unearthed after the storm.

Spock sighed internally.

Despite recreating the habitat in which the original plant had been discovered, they were not the same....

Much like the Denbora fruit whose illegitimate children had brought forth that horrible drug that Ensign Wagner had succumb to….

He rose from the scanner and took some notes on the PADD, checking over the pollination charts, deliberately ignoring his stomach, which had begun to make little noises. He could shield the mental symptoms all he wanted, but there wasn't much to be done for the physical aspect of it....

_ Apple _ . 

The word made an appearance in his mind once more. 

Spock hadn't  _ heard _ it...he had  _ tasted _ it... _ felt _ it....

He had been in the middle of his research when he had felt an incredible rush of energy through the bond that had demanded his attention....

_ So very much like Jim... _ Spock mused.

Spock had stopped what he had been doing so that he could focus on it...focus on hearing it...like trying to hear words through a very long tunnel....

And then he tasted it...could feel it on his fingertips...could feel nostalgia resting on his heart like a bird on a wire...something pulling his mind into the past, but not  _ his _ past....

It took him less than two seconds to identify the taste and consistency as that of an average Earth Apple.

Spock glowed with admiration and pride. For not being a telepath, Jim was beginning to amaze him with his resourcefulness and determination. As was his nature, Kirk worked hard at it, never ready to accept defeat.

He had sent him as much encouragement as he could through the bond, wanting to  _ hear _ it, knowing that his bondmate wouldn't be satisfied with anything less.

But then Kirk's attention had been snapped away from the exercise and Spock had felt a twinge of jealousy for whatever had managed to pull his human away from their little shared world.

Now with his growling stomach being his only company, he allowed himself to indulge in peeking in on Jim through the bond, as he had found himself doing quite often now that he didn't have his Captain on the Bridge.

He reached out and found him...he was relaxed...very relaxed...and-

Sock’s back became rigid as he fought a blush cheeks and immediately put his PADD down, heading for the door with purpose. Other crewman who were walking through the halls got out of his way without even being asked. He was a man on a mission...anyone with eyes could see that....

When he reached their quarters, he went directly to the bedchamber and stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.

James T. Kirk adun t'Spock was lounging on his stomach in the middle of the bed...naked as the day he was born, kicking his feet in the air and reading something on a PADD, an apple with a single bite out of it sitting beside it.

Jim grinned and tossed the screen away, giving his husband a heated stare.

Spock was rock hard, the fabric of his uniform pants made him shift with discomfort.

Kirk could feel the lust cascading over his naked body...could feel the Vulcan's admiring gaze as those calculating eyes took in the delicious sight. He could feel himself blushing as his First Officer continued to stare, saying nothing, his face perfectly composed. After another few long seconds of silence, Kirk wondered if Spock might be broken. He picked up the apple.

"Did you know that there is an Earth religion that believes that an apple was the fall of mankind?" He tested.

"It was an unspecified fruit...and it was only...one of...several factors..." he took a breath. "I'm finding it particularly difficult to disagree with you when you're in this...state...."

Kirk batted his eyelashes innocently. "What state would that be, Mr. Spock?"

The Vulcan narrowed his eyes in a you-know-damn-well-what-I'm-talking-about look.

"I am referring to your state of undress, Captain."

"I'm not entirely undressed...." He wiggled his fingers so Spock could see the Rodinium wedding band.

Spock felt a flash of pure possessiveness that flickered through the bond, working its way up Kirk's spine like a hot tongue.

Jim buried his face in the covers, letting out an involuntary moan, his dick hard against the blanket.

"Oh God, Spock, you need to teach me how to do that..." Jim whimpered shakily.

He turned his head to see Spock slowly sit beside him on the bed, as though moving too fast would scare the naked human away.

He reached out his fingers and began caressing the soft golden skin of his beloved, letting his fingertips explore the exotic terrain.

Goosebumps formed on the skin, and Kirk's breathing had become hard and shaky...Spock could feel the younger man's heartbeat accelerate with pleasure and anticipation...his own heartbeat becoming erratic at the bold sexual proposition of his mate.

With catlike grace, Spock positioned himself on top of his lover so that his clothed erection was rubbing against Kirk's naked ass. His hands pinned Jim's wrists to the bed, and Kirk rolled his hips, trying to find relief for his aching cock.

A tiny smirk graced the Vulcan's face as he softly bit the adorably round shell of his husband's ear, causing Jim to make a tiny noise that he refused to admit sounded like a squeak. 

Spock stroked down Jim's back, kissing along his spine and grabbing a handful of his delightfully round rear, his erection leaking pre-cum in appreciation. His fingers slid down between Kirk's cheeks and slipped easily inside the prepared hole. Jim pushed back against Spock's fingers and moaned.

The Vulcan let out a satisfied sigh against Kirk's skin, fucking his hole with his fingers, the sensitive digits sending signals straight to his groin, heat pooling in his stomach.  

"You were preparing yourself...I could feel your pleasure...."

Jim moaned something unintelligible into the comforter as he felt his body eagerly take his lover's fingers...he needed more....

He pulled away from the invading fingers and turned himself over to face Spock.

The Vulcan's face was flushed as his eyes drank in the beautiful sight beneath him.

Kirk was lying on his back, his hands above his head, his legs open and his chest rising and falling with his breathing.

Spock dipped down, kissing his lips gently, his tongue brushing against them requesting entry, which Jim granted with enthusiasm.

He tasted like apple....

"You are beautiful, Jim," he murmured against his lips before taking them again, his large, strong hands softly caging Kirk's ribs, his thumbs finding the hard nipples and rubbing.

Kirk made a wonderful needy noise into Spock's mouth.

"God, Spock, stop teasing me and take off your clothes," he begged.

Spock pulled away and settled on his knees, taking one shirt off at a time, going deliberately slow as he felt Jim's impatience burning through their bond like an inferno.

Kirk's begging, hazel eyes were watching the little show, and Spock felt the familiar disbelief that a creature like Jim could ever look at him like this….

Loving the power he had over his man, he picked up the black thermal shirt with the clear intention of folding it when Jim sprang up and tackled the Vulcan who landed on his back with an amused huff. Kirk was attacking his lips with his own while Spock ran his hands over the smooth naked skin. 

The human made quick work of Spock's pants and tugged them down eagerly. Spock felt his painfully hard erection spring free and moaned at the relief of it. Kirk grabbed it and began to jack him off, spreading the lubrication down his shaft in soft, slow revenge.

" _ Jim _ ..." Spock groaned.

His mate gave him a dazzling smile in response and then straddled him, sitting on Spock's flat stomach and placing his hands on either side of his lifemate's head in triumph. 

Spock could feel the heat and wetness of Jim's prepared entrance against his belly and he bucked his hips. They stared at each other, panting and hard.

"Jim...."

"Yes, Mr. Spock?" the blond demanded, his eyes glowing like a predator at the end of a hunt.

“Please…”

“Yes?”

It was one of Kirk’s guilty pleasures to hear his Vulcan talk dirty….

“Tell me what you want.”

"I want to be inside of you," said Spock. 

“You can do better than that,” Jim teased, lowering his mouth to lick a taut nipple, causing a hiss to escape the Vulcan’s lips. 

“I want to fuck you.”

Spock could feel himself blushing, while Jim became exceedingly turned on. 

Before Kirk, he had been conditioned to deny himself  _ wants _ , therefore  _ vocalizing _ such things was downright scandalous. To love for the sake of loving, to have for the sake of wanting, these things were all considered to be in poor taste as far as Vulcans were concerned. But Spock wanted and he loved...and the object of this love and want was currently  _ torturing him _ .

“I want to plant myself so deep inside of you that no other can cross your mind…”

Kirk groaned, stroking himself a little, Spock’s eyes watching him hungrily. 

" _ Please _ , Jim...."

He emphasized his plea by squeezing Jim's thighs.

Kirk had lost his patience as well, and leaned down to kiss Spock deeply, stealing the Vulcan's breath like a succubus. Their noses were touching when Jim lowered himself onto Spock's impossibly hard dick, letting the hot rod fill him, his body pulling the alien organ into itself greedily.

Spock watched as his human's eyes stared into his, turning soft with intimacy. 

All of the telepathy in the world was meaningless when Kirk looked at Spock...his sheer passion for this person poured out of his eyes....It was really no wonder everyone knew they were in love before they had even admitted it to one another.....

Staring into the face of such honesty...such  _ truth _ had oftentimes made Spock feel naked in his Captain's presence...now it just made him feel  _ lucky _ .

Spock placed his hands on Kirk's hips as the human seated himself, taking his lover to the hilt, his mouth dropping open, his eyes never leaving Spock's.

"Oh, Spock, you feel so  _ good _ ...." Jim breathed.

" [ _ I ashaya hasu veh k' du, adun _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151267404743/i-ashaya-hasu-veh-k-du-adun-i-love-being-one) _... _ ."

Kirk moaned helplessly and kissed Spock again...he loved it when Spock broke out the Vulcan.

He lifted his hips, holding onto Spock's knees, and brought himself back down hard, causing both men to moan. He brought himself back up and began fucking himself on the large, hard, Vulcan dick, pulling moans out of his lover. Spock held onto his hips more tightly, watching Kirk's hips undulate as he took all of Spock inside of him.

With his superior strength and clear precision, Spock lifted Kirk up and brought him back down, thrusting up at the same time, making their bodies come together with a little _slap_ , his dick hitting his husband's prostate. Jim cried out, his body shivering around Spock's. The sound of his mate's voice in such unabated exhilaration was addicting, and Spock strove to draw more wonderful sounds from his [_adun_](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151262206423/adun-husband).

He thrust up into Kirk's tight heat again and again, his lover meeting his thrusts. Jim's voice was becoming hoarse from the unabashed shouts that were hitching out of him as he rode Spock's dick, his body quivering, melting into Spock's.

Spock reached up and tangled his fingers in the red gold hair and pulled Jim down into a searing kiss, his body pushing up deeply into Kirk's. He could feel their climax approaching...could taste it on his lifemate's skin. He angled himself the way that he knew made his husband tremble with pleasure, aiming to make his husband never want for any other. He knew he had succeeded when Jim dropped his head on Spock's shoulder whimpering.

"Spock, I can't last much longer...I'm going to come..."

The Vulcan took full control, only needing to thrust two more times in just the right place before Jim came, his orgasm thundering through their bond and skin, bringing Spock to completion in one more thrust.

Jim collapsed onto his lover, boneless and sated.

Spock stroked the damp hair with his fingertips, their shared bliss clinging to their skin along with their sweat. The Vulcan took a deep satisfied breath, taking in his lover's smell...feeling the possessiveness creep into his satisfaction as he smelled himself all over his bondmate. He buried a soft kiss in the blond mop, closing his eyes and  _ feeling _ Jim with him.

Kirk snuggled into his neck, kissing it tenderly.

"Two times in one day...not bad."

"It does not exceed our current record," Spock murmured, stroking his fingers through damp hair.

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Spock?"

"I meant it as a simple observation, but if you'd like to attempt to surpass our number, I am more than willing to cooperate."

Kirk nipped Spock's jaw.

"Just wait until our honeymoon...we'll be cooperating until we both die of exhaustion."

"I could not imagine a more desirable way to expire, Captain."

Kirk's giggle was muffled by soft Vulcan lips.

*6*

Spock strummed his fingers across the Vulcan lute's strings, releasing a sweet melody that had Jim smiling in spite of himself.

He was sitting beside his blindfolded lover in their bed. After they had regained some of their energy, they had cleaned each other up, but neither had felt the need to put their clothes back on yet.

"Are you ready for the next one, Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked, a little smile on his lips as he chose another slice of fruit from the plate.

"Affirmative, Captain," Spock responded, a tiny smile at the corner of his lips as he brought his slender fingers across the strings again.

"Alright, but you're not going to guess this one."

He stared at the slice of the Calipton blue peach and focused on its color...his mother used to make homemade sorbet out of this fruit, and it retained its dusk blue even in its crushed and iced form. He put the slice in his mouth and tasted the rare flavor that made the exotic fruit so expensive on most planets. His mother used to mix the peach with Koritian vine honey, crushing Arteman sour spice over the top of the frozen treat-

"Calipton blue peach," Spock said.

"You're peeking," Kirk said grinning. "Open up," he commanded, and Spock opened his mouth to take a slice of the sweet fruit.

After Jim had lured Spock to their quarters with a mating call, Kirk had convinced his stubborn First Officer to stay and eat lunch by promising to make it productive.

His little experiment earlier in the day with the apple hadn't been quite as successful as he would have liked, but Spock had assured him that he had taken a huge step forward in his communication abilities, and he intended on practicing and honing in on it as much as possible.

"The sooner I have this bond thing down, the sooner I can start learning Vulcan," Kirk said contentedly. "Open."

Spock opened his mouth again for another slice of the peach. Kirk fed it to him and then quickly kissed his juicy lips. When he pulled away, the blinded Spock tried to follow and Jim giggled.

"Alright, let's try another."

He picked up a cloudberry from Tiresia V and focused on it. It was tiny and pink, and Winona Kirk used to mix them with chocolate chips and yoghurt to make muffins. She would have a chili pepper glaze over the top that would have guests raving-

"FemTiresian cloudberry," Spock said, plucking a few more strings.

"Well, I am impressed," Kirk said genuinely, smiling at his blindfolded husband.

"As am I. You seem to have a nostalgic response to all of the fruit that you've tried, yet only the apple was native to Earth."

Jim pressed a cloudberry against Spock's lips, and he took it, chewing it slowly.

Another one of Jim’s personal pleasures was watching Spock eat. He was so delicate about it, as though taking nourishment was a subtle art to be done with ceremony. Now Jim had a front row seat of watching his husband take tiny bites of fruit with uncanny grace.

"My mother keeps a very respectable orchard. She’s an amazing gardener..." he fed Spock a slice of cheese just so he could watch his sexy Adam's apple rise and fall. 

"My father would bring back exotic seeds and plants from his travels and she filled her orchard with them...fruits and berries, a vegetable garden...even grew her own herbs and spices."

"I would surmise that she was a relatively good cook," Spock said.

"She is. It was her  _ baking _ that turned my brother and me into her little slaves, though. We would do anything if we knew she was making a dessert...that's probably why I keep having to fight off the extra weight before my physicals...got me into bad habits."

Spock frowned and pulled the blindfold off. He set his lute aside and pulled Kirk to him, trailing his hands down his naked body.

"This body holds the soul of my beloved," Spock said, kissing Jim's collarbone and running his hands over the body in question. "I find it arousing, and perfect in its own right. I shall not hear you shame it."

Kirk grinned sheepishly.

"You'll still love me when I'm old and covered in wrinkles?"

"Certainly. As I hope you will still love me when time changes  _ my _ appearance."

"I've  _ seen _ your father, and I'm certain you'll look the same as you do now in 100 years."

"I shall appear older than my father at that age. I am half human, and, as our bond is different from his and my mother's, our lifelines turn to meet each other."

Kirk snuggled closer to Spock and nodded. 

Finding out that he was going to live longer because of the bond had been interesting news...for the most part, positive, though he didn't like the idea of outliving his friends. It was finding out that Spock was giving up a good hunk of his own lifespan to be with Jim that had almost been a deal-breaker for him. Spock had to  _ beg _ him to make the bond at that point. It had taken two weeks of vigilant discussion with the stubborn human for Kirk to accept, and it  _ still _ didn't sit well with him.

It was such a close call for their relationship, that Jim was certain that in some other reality he had refused....

He couldn't even  _ imagine _ a life without Spock, and he had to accept that Spock felt the same way about  _ him _ .

Spock caressed Jim's skin with his fingertips as he had the lute, Kirk's train of thought passing through their skin contact.

" [ _ I aitlun wuh pen ha'kiv don ha-tor _ , T'hy'la ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151268034818/i-aitlun-wuh-pen-hakiv-don-ha-tor-thyla-id) ," Spock assured him.

Kirk was still a beginner in the Vulcan language, but he got the gist through their bond and body contact. 

Neither of them said anything for a moment. 

"My mother had a garden as well," Spock said, breaking the silence. 

"Perhaps we could have one of our own," Jim replied, accepting Spock's not so subtle change of subject. He looked up at Spock from where he lay against him. "When we settle down."

"I believe I would find that most pleasant," Spock responded warmly, looking down at his bondmate, his heart filled with contentment.

Kirk grinned.

"Please tell me you know how to cook."

*7*

After lunch together, Spock reluctantly began donning his uniform with the intention of returning to the lab.

Kirk slipped on his own clothes and looked in the mirror, making a stab at looking as though he hadn't gotten himself some afternoon delight. He was currently failing, of course, as his hair was disaster and his skin had that afterglow...more like a neon sign than a glow.

The moment he had decided that he looked mostly normal, his now fully clothed husband came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, attacking his neck with his lips, nipping it with the clear intent of leaving a mark.

Jim leaned back into the embrace and let out a chuckle, causing Spock to glance into the mirror to see the human's expression. It was one of Spock's little pleasures...a secret, one that he never verbalized to Jim: he loved Jim's smile, and adored being the one who put it there. Kirk's eyes would crinkle and sparkle with genuine delight when he would laugh or listen to a story that he found amusing. It was one of the first things that Spock had noticed about his new Captain, and his heart had nearly pounded right out of his side when he had first elicited this response from him. He had been in such a fit that he had missed how Kirk's eyes had lingered on the composed face...had turned away before seeing the longing in Jim's eyes.

"Areel is coming back today, isn't she?" Jim said with a knowing smirk.

The smug smile gave way to arousal when Spock tugged on the blond hair and worked on the soft flesh, sending a very clear message of " _ Mine _ ." through their bond.

It was just like Spock to exhibit possessive behavior whenever the young attorney was around. Though Spock knew that there was no threat where the Lieutenant was concerned, he couldn't help his nature. Kirk was a desirable creature, a fact that could be confirmed by nearly everyone who knew him. 

Spock had been satisfied, when they had exchanged wedding rings in Terran fashion, that Jim's exit from the metaphorical "market" would be well advertised. He had been wrong. The attention to his already magnetic bondmate had been multiplied, causing the more primitive stroke of the Vulcan blood to burn in an unruly fashion. Because he knew none of the feelings of Kirk's admirers were reciprocated, he had, for the most part, been able to keep himself in check.

"She will be returning with Dr. Usui from the 18th moon of Början," Spock replied, licking the little red mark that had risen on Jim's skin.

"Hmmm...there are a few things we need to discuss with them both...."

"Specify."

"Anita Bruke...being what she is...."

Spock was not even a little bit surprised that the man who had successfully hacked the Kobayashi Maru would have no trouble hacking into his own Starship's computer system.

"You found your way into the reports.”

Spock couldn’t keep the fondness from his voice. 

"Perhaps you should try changing your password from the last time I helped myself to your access codes."

Spock held onto his Captain more tightly.

"It is illogical to keep anything from one's bondmate."

"Like the meaning behind your password?"

This had been the subject of discussion since they had first entered their relationship.

The only other time before today that Kirk had ever hacked into Spock's personal information was when he had been going through Pon Farr. McCoy couldn't tell him what was wrong, only that Spock was in severe danger and that the stubborn Vulcan was doing nothing to shed any light on his own predicament. This answer had frightened and frustrated Jim, and he had searched the entire computer library for any clue into what the good doctor could be talking about. If he was going to be changing course against orders, he was going to need to know why. He had every intention of getting Spock to Vulcan...had every intention of keeping him around as long as he could.

When the computers gave him nothing, he tuned out the nagging in the back of his mind that protested against invading his crush's privacy and had hacked into the computer systems, extracting Spock's access code.

Password: JSD1512.2K

Kirk had found nothing in any of Spock's medical records that could help him make his case to Starfleet, and he had been forced to have the awkward conversation with his First Officer concerning the very private information about Vulcan mating habits.

Jim had confessed his trespass against Spock in the beginning of their relationship, the guilt weighing against him.

Spock had found his reasoning logical, and had forgiven him, and Kirk had felt the need to satisfy the curiosity that had been piggybacking on the guilt.

"What is the meaning behind your password?" he had asked shyly.

"It is of no consequence," Spock had said quickly.

"It is a stardate though...is it not?"

Spock had remained quiet.

"It had to have been sometime during our five year mission..." Jim had pried.

Spock had then abruptly changed the subject.

Every time Jim had tried to bring it up, Spock had evaded the line of questioning with linguistic precision.

And here they were, bonded and married and the man still wouldn't give in...and he hadn't changed the password in all of this time....

"I think it would be wise, in lieu of this new information on Yeoman Bruke, that we ask Admiral Daya to bring along a mechanical expert that would be able to somehow extract the necessary information from the cyborg," Spock said coolly, changing the subject once again.

"I'll call her to discuss it," Jim replied, disappointed that Spock still had a secret.

Spock gently turned his lover around to face him, their eyes meeting.

"I shall tell you...about the password, T'hy'la...it's just that its origins cause me to feel...."

Kirk could feel it seeping through their bond.

"Embarrassed?" Jim provided.

Spock simply nodded.

An idea occurred to Kirk and he smiled.

"I'll strike a bargain with you, Spock. You don't have to tell me...but you have to help me master our bond...then I can just find out for myself."

Spock lifted an eyebrow.

"You intend on applying your hacking abilities to my mind."

"If that's how you want to look at it."

Spock stole a kiss from his clever human.

"That sounds logical."

*8*

"Don't tell me something's wrong with your transporter again, I will  _ freak out _ ."

Admiral Daya was sending daggers through the screen on Kirk's Vid Com, her arms crossed.

"No no...everything's fine, Dalisay. I just wanted to request that you bring a mechanical professional...someone who has experience with Androids and Cyborgs...."

Her eyebrows rose with disbelief.

"Do you have any idea how  _ rare _ both of those things are?"

"Which should make it easier to narrow down a specialist," Kirk argued with a shrug, trying not to awaken her famous temper.

She looked down at what Jim presumed was her PADD, her eyes scanning the information that he couldn't see.

Daya snorted. "It amazes me how lucky you are sometimes, Jim. I am  _ planets _ away from a mentionable science base and somehow there is someone  _ here _ that can help you in that department."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"I found someone...I don't know if your crew is gonna like it."

"They'll like it if they can get us some answers."

"Mind telling me what's going on?"

"I'll tell you everything when you arrive tomorrow."

"Ugh. I hate surprises."

*9*

Spock waited in the transporter room for Admiral Daya's arrival. In his company was Mr. Scott and Dr. McCoy. 

The Acting Captain sighed internally as he tried in vain to ignore the empty space beside him where his husband belonged. He knew it wouldn't be long before they'd all be having dinner together, but the itch for his bondmate's physical presence was distracting at best. He didn't know how much longer he could be apart from him like this on a day to day basis. Kirk had voiced a similar concern before he had left their quarters that morning, and had deemed it "unhealthy" that their independence was slowly chipping away like this...all the while he had been undoing Spock's pants-

The Vulcan mentally shook himself to keep his mind present.

Three shapes materialized, and the Admiral quickly stepped off of the platform, her dark eyes set on Spock. She was a short woman, not much older than Jim, but she stood tall, the air of command encircling her like a bubble.

"Commander Spock, what a pleasure it is to see you again," she said with a smile, her dark eyes piercing and keen. "This is Dr. Sapri," she said, motioning to a young woman in science blues. She was taller than the Admiral, with brown hair and green eyes.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Commander," she said without extending a hand to shake.

"This is the expert you requested," Daya said, motioning to the third woman who had been hiding between the other two. She stepped forward and Spock heard Mr. Scott make a tiny noise that only Vulcan ears could hear. He understood the engineer's surprise.

She was the same height as Dr. Sapri, but a bit younger, also in science blue. She had huge brown eyes that had a somewhat dreamy look to them as she stared at Spock with unconcealed interest.

Her ears were pointed, but slightly different from his own. She had the same upswept eyebrows, slightly longer than his, and her skin had a darker hue. Her long black hair was not straight, but richly flowing in thick curls.  

"Hello, I'm Lieutenant Smith," she said, giving Spock a bright smile, her eyes still glittering with admiration.

Scotty gave an incredulous snort.

Spock understood: Smith was not a Romulan name. Regardless, members of the nonhuman races were known to change their names to simpler ones to accommodate Standard speakers. 

After making the proper introductions of all of those who were present, the three women were escorted out of the transporter room to their guest quarters.

Miss Smith lingered for a moment to stare at Spock, who brought an eyebrow up.

"Did you have a question Lieutenant?"

"No. I'll see you tonight," she said with a grin before following the others out of the transporter room.

"Looks like she's got a thing for those pointy ears of yours, Spock," McCoy drawled.

"How the Lieutenant perceives my physical appearance is irrelevant, Doctor," Spock said, taking a PADD from one of the redshirts and signing it after skimming it over.

"Maybe to you, but I know someone who'd be a bit on edge if he knew a girl like  _ that _ had her eye on you."

Spock brought his eyebrows together.

Since he no longer perceived the good doctor as a sexual rival, Spock was more apt to actually listen to McCoy's advice on matters concerning social transactions and emotional situations.

As reluctant as he was to admit it, he trusted the doctor's opinion, as he knew his bondmate always had.

"Elaborate."

"Oh, don't pretend you didn't notice," Bones said with his tiny smile and a glint in his blue eyes. He turned to Scotty, who was directing some redshirts with the luggage that had arrived after the women. "Scotty, what did you make of that Romulan we've got onboard?"

"She's lovely! Ne'er seen a Romulan so attractive. No offense doctor, but you don' have a chance with her," Scotty looked over at Spock, his dark eyes amused. "The lass 'as only got eyes fer Mr. Spock, it would seem. I don't reckon the Cap'n will take to  _ that _ too kindly."

"The Captain is well aware of where my affections lie. If another indeed holds me in esteem, it is of no consequence to either of us. Now, if you gentlemen have ceased your gossiping, we are due to return to the Bridge."

" _ You're _ the one who wanted me to elaborate," the doctor reminded him grumpily.

"I was under the impression that the information held importance, and error that I won’t repeat," Spock said, making his way to the Turbolift.

"Say what you want," McCoy said as he fell into stride behind him. "Jim's not gonna like it."

*10*

"She's got a little crush on your man, here."

Bones was sitting at the desk in Jim and Spock's quarters having a drink with Kirk while they waited for Spock to finish getting ready.

Spock had just finished his shift and was freshening up, while the doctor told Jim all about the arrival of the three women.

The First Officer flashed McCoy a scolding look while he walked to the closet to pick out a fresh, blue uniform shirt that was mixed in with the golds and occasional green of his lover's wardrobe.

Kirk glanced up at his lifemate, catching the look and raising his eyebrows in amusement.

"Well, who can blame her?" Jim said, letting his eyes wander down the attractive form of his bondmate who was currently wearing his tight thermal black shirt.

Spock could sense that he was being watched and he turned a little to meet Jim's eyes, giving him a tiny, shy smile at the compliment.

Kirk held his gaze with a smoldering grin that caused Spock to turn away on the premise of getting his shoes, the tip of his ears turning an adorable shade of green.

Jim watched appreciatively as Spock bent over to retrieve them.

"Could you  _ not _ do that while I'm sitting  _ right here _ ?" Bones snapped, bringing the younger man's attention reluctantly back to their conversation. Kirk hadn't realized that in his enthusiasm, he had turned to face Spock directly and had been biting his own thumb flirtatiously as he watched the little show.

"Sorry, Bones."

The doctor looked from Spock to Kirk.

"To think you look at him like that when he's putting his clothes  _ on _ ...." he scoffed and took a drink of his wine.

Spock flashed his husband another private smile before disappearing into their bathroom, leaving Kirk to stare longingly at the closed door of their bathroom.

McCoy clapped a companionable hand on Jim's shoulder, patting it a little.

"Get a grip, Jim."

Kirk turned and beamed at his best friend.

The last time Bones had done that was the first time he had ever caught Jim staring at his First Officer...which had been his first day as the Captain of the Enterprise.

Before he could reminisce, Spock stepped out of the bathroom smelling subtly of cologne causing every thought to vacate Kirk's brain.

"Shall we?" McCoy said somewhere in the background, but Jim was still making moon eyes at his Vulcan, who extended his hand to help his chosen rise.

Jim conjured up the most salacious scene he could before slipping his hand into Spock's.

The Vulcan's eyes widened slightly, and Kirk was rewarded with a surge of lust through their bond.

Jim tried to hide the blush as they walked hand and hand behind McCoy out into the hallway, oblivious to the attention they were getting from the crewmen they passed.

*11*

Once Kirk had managed to pry his eyes away from Spock when they reached the dining hall, he stood behind his bondmate so that the Acting Captain could welcome their guests.

"You already know Admiral Dalisay Daya," Spock said. "This is Dr. Marissa Sapri."

The woman with long brown hair and green eyes smiled at him.

"And this is Lieutenant Sienae Smith."

Jim tried not to be intimidated by the presence of the exotic beauty who had given Kirk a quick glance and then had looked straight back at Spock with glittering doe eyes.

"You have all met Dr. Leonard McCoy and Mr. Montgomery Scott," Spock said to the women, "This is Dr. Pyua Usui, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, and Lieutenant Areel Shaw."

He then motioned to Jim.

"He who is my husband, Captain James T. Kirk adun t'Spock."

Sienae's eyes whipped from Spock to Jim, looking him over with transparent scrutiny.

Kirk felt himself wearing an affronted expression when he felt Spock guiding him to his chair.

The Vulcan sat beside him and slid a hot hand up his thigh. Jim placed his own hand atop it and they locked their fingers together as was their secret habit whenever they sat next to each other, the need to touch ever present.

Dalisay turned to Jim immediately.

"Well, I've got to say, Jim, the ship is in better condition than recent events had led me to believe! I was half expecting the place to be held together by glue and paperclips."

"No, that's just the Bridge...the rest of it is rubber bands and tears," Kirk shot back playfully.

Everyone laughed except Spock (who was highly amused if the bond could be believed) and Sienae, who had thrown Kirk a glare before looking back at Spock.

They were all poured drinks and Scotty proposed a toast. As usual, he made everyone laugh with his well chosen words. The Scotsman had proven to be as good at public speaking as he was at pulling miracles out of thin air where the engine was concerned. 

Kirk remembered fondly that the Engineer, being the Second Officer, had been the one who officiated their small wedding on the Enterprise.

Spock caught the warm, drifting thought, and as all eyes were still on Mr. Scott, he brought Kirk's hand to his lips and gave it a tiny kiss.

Kirk was moved by the small gesture of affection, and he smiled warmly at his bondmate as their joined hands returned to their place in his lap.

They drank (Spock drinking some kind of juice) and the Romulan's eyes found their way to Kirk's wedding ring. Jim wondered vaguely if he was the only one noticing this...if perhaps he was being paranoid about this whole thing....

_ Maybe it's just her face.... _

McCoy leaned closer to him and murmured "You know, I had a dog when I was a kid who had that look...had to put the thing down."

"Thank goodness you said something, Bones; I was starting to think I was paranoid....Do you think there's some kind of...Romulan death glare that we don't know about?" Kirk asked, half kidding...but also kind of serious.

"I reckon if there were, you'd be dead already."

"Well, that's a comfort."

Spock stroked his thumb over Kirk's fingers under the table.

Jim and McCoy continued to talk in hushed tones, their conversation going unnoticed as many conversations were being held at the same time.

_ Is everything alright, T'hy'la? _

_ Yes, it's alright, my love. _

He knew that everything was not alright...could see the Lieutenant glaring at his husband from the other side of the table when she wasn't chatting with Mr. Scott and Lieutenant Uhura.

He wanted nothing more than to correct the woman’s behavior, but thought his husband might find it distasteful considering the circumstances. Regardless, Spock brought their joined hands to the top of the table and rested them where they were in plain view.

McCoy and Kirk both looked at the Vulcan who was giving the Romulan a heavy stare. No one else seemed to notice any of this going on, but Sienae huffed and looked away, throwing a suggestive smile at a redshirt across the room, causing him to blush.

Jim and Bones exchanged a look at the rather primitive display of dominance, and then McCoy abruptly turned his attention to Dr. Sapri.

"So, Dr. Sapri," he said slowly, giving the brunette a grin laden with Southern charm.

"Oh please, doctor, call me Marissa," she said with a lovely smile of her own.

"Marissa, what do you do? Are you a medical doctor?"

"No, I'm a Cultural Xenologist...I study cultures from all over the galaxy. I'm currently working for the Admiral as an advisor."

"You must have to travel a lot to perform that kind of research."

"Hence my offering my assistance to Admiral Daya. She's always on the move, she needs help, I need a ride, it's a win-win."

"What's your favorite part of the job?" Uhura asked, a cultural enthusiast herself.

"The mythology and folklore...I find it to be enlightening," Marissa replied, her calm green eyes smiling at Nyota.

"There's some beautiful mythology on Ame, where Dr. Usui is from," Kirk said, taking a drink of his wine. "Have you ever been to Ame?"

Marissa turned to Dr. Usui and gave her a shy smile.

"Is that the rainy one?"

Laughter was her only response, and she turned a bright red, begging forgiveness for her ignorance.

Scotty patted her on the back, assuring her that it was fine.

"And where did you grow up?" Uhura asked Marissa.

"I grew up in Minnesota, on Earth...in the same town as Sienae actually," she said, motioning to the Romulan whose eyes were stuck on Spock and Kirk's clasped hands as though willing them to part.

"Hm?" she looked over at Marissa.

"We grew up not too far away from each other, actually! It's funny that we never ran into each other."

"You grew up on  _ Earth _ ?" Scotty asked with obvious surprise.

He was leaning over Uhura, one hand on her chair behind her...it had been that way all night, but Kirk wasn't about to invade his friends' privacy.

"Yes," she said, putting a smile on her cold face. "I was adopted by humans after my parents were killed in a confrontation with a Federation vessel. It was a colony transfer, so my brother and I were aboard."

"I'm sorry about your parents," Uhura said softly.

"It's alright, I was very young. I don't remember any of it."

"And your brother?"

Sienae's lovely dark eyes went to her lap.

"Gone."

There was silence before Sienae abruptly said "My parents-well my adopted parents- are wonderful, though. I had a happy childhood...I was still a baby when it happened so the only family I remember is the one that I have now."

She smiled at Uhura, and for once, Kirk thought that it was genuine.

"I hear on Vulcan they do  _ afer-tor _ ceremonies instead of adoption," said Dr. Sapri.

Kirk looked over a Spock who nodded.

"I've also heard of [_koon-ut-kal-if-fee_](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151269855818/koon-ut-kal-if-fee-marriage-or-challenge) ," said Sienae, whose eyes were once again glued to the Vulcan. "I thought that someone had to remain with the lands and wealth of the name-holder."

"Originally, the  _ Ahm Meskaraya _ spends a year with their mate after bonding," Spock corrected.

"Originally?" Marissa asked, intrigued.

"Vulcan law just recently changed, stating that registered bondmates are not to be separated," Areel clarified.

"Hence your presence here on the ship," Sienae said to Kirk with barely concealed hostility.

Kirk felt a wave of protective anger sweep off of his beloved. The human gently squeezed his hand, calming him.

"He is present, Lieutenant, because he is the Captain of this ship," Dalisay said in a chilly voice.

Sienae blinked innocently. 

"But, is Commander Spock not Acting Captain?"

"Only until the  _ Captain _ has sorted out his affairs," the Admiral corrected her, taking a drink of her wine and giving her a scathing look. "I'd like to know more about these flowers that seem to be giving everyone a conniption fit."

"Flowers?" Marissa asked.

"Yes, we collected them on Ame...they seem to have many health benefits," said McCoy, who, Jim could tell, was happy that the subject was changing to a less heavy topic.

"They're very beautiful," Uhura chimed in. "They glow in the dark!"

"I should like to see them sometime, if that's alright," said Marissa, her green eyes alight with interest.

"That's up to Commander Spock," said Bones, holding up his glass to the Vulcan, who seemed to have calmed down significantly thanks to his bondmate.

"You are welcome to our labs, Doctor," Spock said to the brunette.

She smiled.

Sienae frowned.

*12*

Conversation began to lighten even more when the second round of drinks were poured.

As the night progressed, Spock had somehow pulled Jim's chair close to his own to the point where the younger man was nearly on his lap, the Vulcan's hand on his thigh under the table, linked with his own.

Everyone had broken off into little conversational groups. Uhura, Areel and Sienae were all laughing at something Scotty had said, while Dalisay and Bones were listening to Dr. Usui and Dr. Sapri swapping tales about myth and legends. 

Kirk and Spock were in their own little world, chatting about what seemed like everything under the suns.

This was one of the things that had made the Captain fall resolutely head over heels for his First Officer...

Everyone knew that his First was highly intelligent, logical, loyal, and oh so beautiful, but not everyone knew that despite his seeming withdrawnness, he was also an excellent conversationalist. Most people found his rambling to be boring, and though Jim teased him about it sometimes,the truth was he could sit for hours listening to Spock's voice...the elegant way that he would pronounce his a's and the graceful way he would phrase his sentences...

Playing chess and talking to Spock was always a pleasure, and he particularly enjoyed hearing his opinions and theories which Jim always found to be fresh and unique. It always would end with Kirk staring at those Vulcan lips, imagining what they would taste like....

He was staring at Spock's mouth now while he spoke. The Vulcan was well aware of Kirk's interests, but continued to casually talk while under the table he slipped his hand further up his thigh. Jim's eyes flickered to Spock's, widening a little.

The taller man smirked.

"Something wrong, Captain?" he slid his hand closer to Jim's crotch where his dick was starting to take interest in the activities.

"Why do you say that, Commander?" Kirk asked with a grin.

Spock let his fingers move under the table, finding their way under Kirk's shirt.

"Your body language is indicating that you are getting quite tense."

"You would know...you are an expert in my body...language," Jim said quietly.

_ Bedroom eyes. _

Amanda had been the one to teach Spock the phrase...she had contacted him after her and his father's visit to the Enterprise and had asked him how his “boyfriend" was doing. Spock had not yet told his parents about their relationship, and was naturally surprised. As he had never been able to hide anything from his mother, she didn't miss the slight change in his expression.

"Oh, please, Spock, you think I didn't notice you two making bedroom eyes at each other when you thought no one was looking?"

"You are observant as ever, mother," Spock had granted.

"Do we see a wedding in your future?" Amanda had asked with a cheerful sparkle in her blue eyes.

Spock had felt a blush threatening to spread to his cheeks.

"If he...finds me acceptable," he had said, trying not to show his discomfort.

"I find you  _ more _ than acceptable, Mr. Spock."

The words were spoken in his ear and he realized that he must have transmitted the memory through their touch.

"I find you...exceptional," Kirk said, his fingertips trailing along Spock's, pulling an involuntary sigh from the Vulcan.

Spock squeezed the bulge he found in Jim's pants and watched as his human struggled to keep his features neutral, his quick intake of breath not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

Kirk looked around at the chattering people, all of whom had plenty of wine and were completely absorbed in their conversation and fun.

He turned to his lifemate with a mischievous look on his face.

"I think your dinner was quite successful, Acting Captain."

"All those present appear to be enjoying themselves," Spock agreed, not taking his eyes from the human’s. 

"But I'm a little...tense, as you've pointed out..." Kirk said, his eyes going to his lover's mouth again. "Perhaps we should return to our quarters...."

**13**

Kirk and Spock stumbled into their doors, hooked to the mouth. They didn't even bother to turn the lights up or wait until their doors had finished shutting to start stripping each other, their tongues tasting, their hands grasping and squeezing.

"You taste like wine," Spock panted into the now almost naked human's mouth.

"Are you going to take advantage of me in my vulnerable state, Mr. Spock?"

"You are not so inebriated that-"

Kirk shut him up with another searing kiss, his body pressed against the half-naked Vulcan before pulling away completely, backing up towards their sleeping chambers, pulling Spock with him by his pants.

They toppled together onto the bed, Kirk quickly rolling on top of his lover, bringing  their lips together once more. He let his hand slide down to the hardness straining in his First Officer's trousers and squeezed the large member teasingly.

Spock groaned into Kirk's mouth and the mischievous human did it again.

He kissed Spock's jaw and then brought his swollen lips to the perfect pointed ear. He rubbed the hard dick again and breathed "Sometimes I can't believe I can take this whole thing...."

Spock growled and flipped them, plunging his tongue into the wine flavored mouth and nipping at Kirk's bottom lip.

He held his human down by his arms and began placing too-soft kisses down his neck. Jim was surrounded by the delightful feeling of Spock's arousal...that otherworldly desire seeping through the Vulcan skin and into his mate's. Goosebumps were rising as Spock slowly made his way down his lover's chest, his lips barely touching the skin, causing Jim to shiver, his hard on poking out of his boxers.

Spock licked and nipped at a hard nipple, his fingertips brushing with feather-light touches down his sides and hooking under the elastic.

Jim could feel his breathing starting to quiver at the sensual torture.

The taller man began pressing blessedly hot kisses down his stomach, gently biting the flesh right under his belly button and pulling Kirk's underwear off. Jim sat up to pull Spock back to him, but a strong hand against his chest kept him down, demanding control. Jim submitted and moaned loudly when he felt the hot lips surround his cock as Spock took him down.

The Vulcan loved the taste of his mate...it awakened a primal part of him that called to lay claim to this flesh, mind and soul. He brought his head back up, using his tongue, pulling the most delicious sounds from his bondmate. He could feel Jim's desire and lust and love surrounding his mind as Spock pleasured him.

Jim could feel his control slipping, his hips wanting to buck up into the heat, but Spock held him down. He wanted something...wanted but couldn't vocalize anything more than appreciative moans.

He licked his lips and reached down to tangle his fingers in the hair as the head bobbed up and down. He laid his other hand on Spock's arm and envisioned what he desired, sending it through their skin to skin contact.

Spock stopped what he was doing and pulled away, licking the hard shaft on the way up, letting his tongue touch the tip. He observed the effect that he had on his mate and was not disappointed: Kirk looked thoroughly ravished, his tan body glistening with perspiration, his chest heaving, and his lips red and punished from Spock's hungry treatment.

Jim gave Spock a sly smile.

"Come here, Commander."

The Vulcan reluctantly obeyed, and Kirk could feel the shyness spreading through their bond, touching the tips of the human's consciousness. Jim reached up and pulled his husband into a soft, slow kiss, letting his reassurance and desire spill over his senses, knowing that he was succeeding by the way that Spock's breathing seemed to change. Their lips parted and Kirk gazed into the warm, dark eyes.

"Please, Spock...let me...."

Spock nodded and rearranged them, his heart beating frantically with anticipation as they fell into a different position...one that humans referred to as “69.”

He could feel Kirk's delight through their bond before he felt the slightly cooler human tongue lick the head of his penis which throbbed in yearning. A sound escaped his throat that was simply undignified and he could feel himself blush. He tried not to blush even more when he knew that Jim was smiling at the effect he had on his bondmate.

Kirk still couldn't understand why in all of the things that they had done together...all of the ways that they had explored each other's bodies...all of the ways that they were still discovering how to pleasure each other, Spock was still so damn timid about receiving a  _ blowjob _ .

Jim considered it his personal mission to get his lover comfortable with it....

He wrapped his lips around the large, green erection and swallowed the Vulcan down as far as he could without choking, causing his composed First Officer to cry out, the heat of his breath moist against Kirk's belly.

Jim moaned around the hot dick, luxuriating in the delicious taste and the amazing sounds of his husband in this state.

He pulled away and took it back down, extracting another cry from his lover before he felt firm hands grab his ass and a hot Vulcan mouth encompass his erection with a vengeance. They fell into a steady rhythm. As with everything else they did, they found their perfect synchronization as they indulged in their mutual gratification. The only sound to be heard was heavy breathing, muffled whimpers and moans and the soft, wet sound of sucking.

Kirk could feel their bodies becoming hot, the delightful ache pooling in his stomach as his bondmate used that talented mouth to bring him closer and closer to completion.

Though he was close, he could feel through their skin and their bond that Spock was closer. With immense effort, he pulled his lower half away from the skillful Vulcan, feeling surprise come from the taller man in response.

But Kirk wanted to be present...wanted to  _ watch _ Spock come undone...just for him....

He redoubled his efforts, remembering all of the things that he knew Spock loved when getting head, and utilizing his own knowledge of the glories of receiving to make his shy lover come. He was rewarded by Spock's moist cries against his belly, pleasure rolling off of his beloved as he lost himself in the incredible feeling that his bondmate was so selflessly providing.

Okay...maybe not so selfless....

Jim hummed in contentment around Spock’s dick. 

_ Come for me.... _

"Oh,  _ Gods _ , Jim...." Spock cried helplessly.

_ I want to taste you...I want you to come in my mouth.... _

Spock obeyed, as he grasped onto the flesh of Jim's hips, the hot, wetness surrounding his throbbing member, pulling his coherence away.  He let out a muffled yell into his bondmate's belly, trying but failing to center himself as he felt his control slip. He came hard in his lifemate's mouth, his thoughts cast adrift on the waves of his orgasm. He looked down and watched as his mate swallowed everything he had to offer. He let out a whimper at the pure, delightful  _ dirtiness  _ of it as he pulled away, his softening cock becoming sensitive. In his blissed out state, he hadn't noticed that Jim had taken his own member in his hand and had just brought himself to orgasm, ropes of cum dripping on the bedding and on his belly.

Spock suddenly felt guilty for not having finished his husband off, but Jim didn't seem to mind as he tugged at his Vulcan's leg, his demands quite clear.

Spock pulled himself around so that they were face to face, and sleepily pulled his lover against him, kissing him slowly and tasting himself.

"I'm sorry, I did not finish-"

Jim smiled a drowsy smile and caught Spock's lips again.

"Thank you," the human said, his voice somewhat hoarse from their activities.

"I do not see why you would-"

"Just say 'you're welcome' and hold me," Kirk said, smiling and glowing with contentment.

"Yes,  _ ashayam _ ..." Spock conceded, amused.

Kirk seemed satisfied with that answer, and lay boneless against his husband, who slipped them both under their covers and ordered the lights out.

Spock stared in the darkness, feeling his husband's breath against him, the warmth of his skin, the way his breathing caused his body to shift almost imperceptibly in his arms as Jim drifted off to sleep.

He buried his face in the soft blond hair and thanked the Gods, again, for this precious gift.  

*14*

"Get any sleep last night?" Areel asked, pushing a cup of coffee in Jim's direction over the conference table. "You two seemed to leave in quite a hurry after dinner."

Kirk caught the knowing glint in her eyes, a sly smile playing on her lips as she took a sip from her own mug.

"Yes, well...we were both...tired."

"Of course you were," she said, playing  along.

Jim cleared his throat.

"Well, let's get back to business, shall we?"

"Anything you say," she responded, still grinning.

She tapped her PADD and looked over her list.

"Dr. McCoy and Dr. Usui are both registered as witnesses to the incident, as is Commander Spock. Admiral Daya is going to make a statement on your behalf. I still don't know why you don't talk about the influence of the  _ tel _ , Jim, I think that will really help your case."

"I was in my right mind when I made the decision to give the Commodore that tea, and the EPS will be able to detect that in my answer."

"The EPS will be able to detect that you don't  _ think _ you were influenced-"

"But I  _ wasn't _ , Areel."

She stared at him, her soft face defiant.

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Because I would have done the same thing had we not been bonded! There are plenty of instances in the past that prove that, and Arjana Damu, being as thorough as she is, will already have those instances ready."

"But your bond isn't exactly  _ new _ ! From what you've told me, it's been there for a long time. On those other occasions, you could have been influenced by it too! There's no telling what a telepathic bond can do to a non-telepath!"

Jim crossed his arms and sighed.

She had an arguable point, but she didn't understand.

"Have you ever been in love before, Areel?"

Her eyes hardened at that.

"Oh, don't even try that on me, James Kirk," she chastised. "I'm your  _ lawyer _ not your  _ priest _ ! If you feel some guilt or feel that you were simply 'emotionally compromised,' then go sit in the confessional! The officers of the court martial aren't going to give a  _ damn _ about your personal feelings! They're going to want something  _ concrete _ !"

"And you think an invisible, telepathic bond with my husband will convince them, is that it?"

"At least there is  _ record _ of it!"

"And you really believe that it was the only thing that influenced my decision?"

Areel closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and when she opened them, they were soft.

"No, Jim,” she said, her voice pleading with exasperation. “I think that your husband was stranded in the middle of a massive storm on an alien planet, feared dead. I think that there was a significant number of dying Federation members on board your ship that desperately needed medical attention and rest before being returned to their planet. I think that McCoy and Usui had their hands full with a virus that had no business on that side of the universe, or  _ timeline _ , and I think, Jim, that you had every damn right to slip him a sedative...from the sound of things, he  _ needed _ it."

Kirk calmed down, feeling guilty for having argued with her.

"But what _ I _ think doesn't matter, Jim. What matters is that you  _ drugged _ your superior officer. Luckily, the Commodore has made a terrible fool of himself by lying in the preliminary...but that's not going to save you. To say that you might have possibly been influenced by the bond might help your case-"

"And they'd strip me of command on the grounds that, because of my marriage, something like this might happen again!"

Kirk was starting to get a minor headache at the circles that they were running.

"That's just it, though!"

"Explain."

"If they strip you of command because of your marriage to a  _ Vulcan _ , that would be  _ discrimination _ ."

Kirk frowned.

He wasn't going to pull that card.

"There must be another way," he said sternly. "You're a lawyer. Find it."

"We have three  _ days _ , Jim. Three days and we’re on Postenje-”

"I've seen you do more in less time...unless..." he gave Areel a sly smile.  "You think that you've finally met your match...."

She narrowed her eyes.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

"Well," he said casually. "I have faith in you."

"You're damn right you do."

*15*

"Are the third generation pods conforming to the same growth patterns as the second generation flora, Mr. Sulu?" Spock asked as he entered the lab.

Sulu looked up from the microscope and nodded.

"Affirmative. There must be some other component that we're overlooking...."

"Like the water?" a voice asked from the doorway.

Both men turned to look at Marissa Sapri, who was accompanied by a grinning Dr. McCoy.

"I don't mean to interrupt, gentlemen...I came to see the flowers," she said cheerfully, her green eyes lighting up at she looked at the glittering buds. "They're  _ beautiful _ !"

"She wanted a tour of the ship," McCoy said by way of explanation, looking pleased with himself. 

Spock nodded, having already been expecting them.

"The first generations are quite intriguing as well. Would you like to see them?" Sulu asked the giddy young woman.

"I would love to!"

Sulu stood up and led her to the habitat, obviously excited at finding someone who shared his enthusiasm.

"Get any sleep last night?" McCoy probed, a tiny smile on his face.

"Thank you for your concern, Doctor. My hours of rest were sufficient."

"Oh, good. How did Jim take to Lieutenant Smith?"

"She was not a subject of discussion," Spock said rather firmly, trying to get a point across to his husband's best friend.

McCoy's smile turned warm.

Spock's bonding with Jim had forced the two men to at least  _ try _ to see eye to eye on things, and it was becoming evident to the Vulcan that their efforts were not in vain. Ever since the wedding, Spock and Bones had found that understanding one another was becoming less and less difficult...though they would still butt heads on occasion and had their debates, there was none of the animosity that used to sometimes creep up during a particularly heated discussion.

This was a prime example. Originally, the good Doctor would have taken offense to the First Officer's sharp tone. Now, Bones seemed to understand what it was the Vulcan was trying to say: As beautiful and exotic as the young Romulan was, and no matter how strong her regard for the Vulcan was, Spock was devoted enough to his mate that not even Kirk had questioned it.

"She didn't seem to like Jim too much," Bones said offhandedly. "How is she doing with Anita Bruke?"

"She has made significant progress. There seemed to be a signal that the Cyborg was transmitting, which confirms the Captain's suspicions that we are still being observed."

"Has she been able to trace who she's transmitting to?"

"Negative. The lieutenant took the precaution of shutting her down so as to cease transmission."

"Looks like we got the right girl to do the job, then," McCoy said. His eyes lit up as he looked at something behind Spock.

The Vulcan tuned to see Dr. Sapri smiling back at him.

"Well, gentlemen, I've taken enough of your time. I should probably go check on Sienae...the poor girl...."

"Is something wrong?" McCoy asked.

"Oh..." the big green eyes looked from the Doctor to Spock and then back at Bones. "I suppose you wouldn't have heard...she is very private about things most of the time....She just found out that her brother is dead."

"Oh, that's terrible...may I ask how it happened?"

"It's really not my business to say," Marissa said elegantly.

The high pitched wail of the com interrupted their discussion.

"Communications to Lab," Uhura's voice said.

Spock walked to the wall and pressed the button.

"Spock here."

"Is Dr. Sapri with you?"

"Affirmative."

"Please inform her that she's received a package."

"Acknowledged."

He looked over at Marissa who smiled and nodded  and bid the two men farewell before exiting the lab.

*16*

Spock sat at the computer in their quarters, scanning through the file with his eyes.

Kirk had insisted on meeting him for lunch in ten minutes, and he had originally intended to take the time to catch up on reports, but found that Dr. Sapri's words would not leave his mind. 

The doors slid open and his bondmate walked through, his eyes lighting up when they met Spock's, and the Vulcan couldn't deny the way that his heart skipped at the sight of him.

"You're early," Jim said, bending over to place a welcoming kiss on Spock's lips.

Kirk could feel the bond brighten at the gesture, and he grinned at the stoic face, planting another one before pulling away and heading to their wardrobe.

"What are you reading?" the human asked casually, leaning over Spock’s shoulder to look at he screen. 

"Lieutenant Smith's brother is dead," Spock explained.

Jim's eyes became soft, his expressive face filled with empathy and the Vulcan felt something inside of him twist as he took his husband's hand. It had been almost two years since Sam had died, but it had been a heavy blow for his lover, who had never had the chance to mourn properly, as extenuating circumstances prevented it.

"That's very disturbing," Jim said finally, squeezing Spock's hand affectionately, his eyes looking softly and deliberately into Spock's.

Kirk wasn't the only one who was familiar with the pain of losing a brother....

"So you're looking up the circumstances?" Kirk asked, looking at the screen.

"Yes."

"And what have you found?"

"Her brother, Sendal, was a highly decorated Commander for the Romulan Empire."

Jim narrowed his eyes at Spock.

"Didn't she say they grew up with a  _ human _ family in Minnesota."

"Her records indicate that she and her brother were, in fact, raised by an Anastacia and Caleb Smith in Minnesota. The Lieutenant was five and her brother was eight at the time of their adoption. Her brother disappeared when he was sixteen and reappeared two years later as one of the Empire's number."

Kirk nodded. "Following his birth parents' path."

"It would seem that way."

"I'll have to send her our condolences."

Spock nodded.

"How is the progression with your case?"

Kirk shifted uncomfortably, a movement that the Vulcan did not miss.

"It's alright...we're still working on a few theories...."

Spock said nothing, but waited expectantly for more, a tactic that never failed to get the human to open up.

This time was no exception.

"Areel wants me to plead temporary insanity," Kirk said in a disapproving tone.

Spock remained quiet.

"She wants me to claim that the bond caused me to act outside of my better judgement."

It was Kirk's turn to be silent now as he waited for his bondmate’s reply.

"That sounds like a logical plan of action," Spock replied.

"But it's a  _ lie _ ," Jim protested adamantly. 

"It is...but as Vulcans do not tend to offer elaborative information on our own anatomy and culture, it could not be disproven."

"I'd be tested to see if I was lying," Kirk said, crossing his arms.

"You would not have to lie, Jim. As your mind was the one affected, your testimony is stricken from the record."

"They'd see our relationship as a future hindrance," Jim continued.

"That would be discrimination, as our bond is exclusive to only telepathic beings."

"You sound like Areel," Kirk said with a sigh. “I can’t believe you’re telling me to lie... _ you  _ of all people!”

"I don't see why you're so against this."

Jim looked at his husband with soft eyes, and Spock felt fondness through their bond as Kirk twined their fingers together more tightly.

"To claim that our relationship has done anything but improve my life, on and off of this Starship, would be the greatest lie and worst lie I’ve ever told."

Spock brought Kirk's hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss on the back of it, sending love rushing through the bond swiftly, causing the human's breath to stutter.

"We have only one other choice in the matter," Spock said, running his thumb over Jim's knuckles.

"Elaborate."

"We must somehow convince Commodore Daniels to drop his charges against you and claim that he took the drug himself."

Jim laughed cheerlessly.

"Well, when you can find a way to do that, Mr. Spock, I will be highly impressed."

*17*

Areel was in a frenzy the next day. The Court Martial was only a day away, and Kirk didn't know if she had gotten any closer to finding a solution that didn't require him publicly debasing his relationship with his First Officer.

As he sat across from her in the conference room, completing the list of tasks that she had placed before him at his entry, he found that any attempt at communicating with the determined attorney was nearly impossible. She was so deeply involved with her work that she nearly jumped out of her skin when the 'com screeched on the table.

"Communications to Captain Kirk," Uhura's voice said.

He pressed the button.

"Kirk here."

"Captain, Commodore Daniels is requesting a visual audience."

Areel looked up from what she was doing, staring at Kirk with wide eyes. Jim stared back with a questioning look.

"Lieutenant Shaw and I will be right there," Jim said, trying not to sound as surprised as he felt, lifting his eyebrows at the attorney. She nodded in encouragement.

"He has requested a  _ private _ audience..." Uhura said after a moment.

He shrugged at Areel and she shook her head furiously, her eyes on fire.

"Tell him I'll be there in five minutes."

"Acknowledged."

He smiled at the infuriated Shaw, who at this point could have been breathing fire.

"You are  _ not _ having a conversation with the man attempting to haul you out of the Captain's chair without your  _ lawyer  _ present!"

"I have a plan."

*18*

"Commodore...this is...unexpected."

Kirk tried to keep the disdain from his voice as he looked at the pinched face and beady black eyes of Commodore Daniels on the screen.

"Captain..." the Commodore took a moment, his mouth open as though he wanted to say something.

"Commodore," Kirk prompted with a little gesture of his hands urging the man to get on with it.

"Captain...you are in  _ grave _ danger."

Jim was thrown. This was absolutely  _ not _ how he had foreseen this conversation going. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Commodore plowed forward.

"Whatever it is that you are doing, whatever you are researching and  _ prying into _ , you must stop, for your  _ own _ sake!"

"Are you...talking about the flowers?"

The Commodore narrowed his eyes, as though he knew Kirk was being purposely dense.

"I'm talking about Anita Bruke...I'm talking about Ame...I'm talking about..." the Commodore looked around both his own and Kirk's surroundings before saying in a whisper "Dr. Kabakai."

Jim felt his eyes widen.

"Do you know who he is?"

"Damn you, Captain, just listen to me! I'm taking you from command for you own good! You don't know what these people are capable of! They'll destroy you and your First Officer until you leave their trail!"

"I'm not on anyone's trail, Commodore," Kirk lied.

Daniels glared at him.

"I know...James T. Kirk, and  _ they  _ know...trust me, they know...If you won't stop for yourself, then do it for Commander Spock."

"Is this a threat?" Jim snapped, his defenses roiling at the sound of his husband's name.

"It's a warning!" Daniels pleaded.

Jim was moved by the look of desperation in those eyes.

"I'm...I'm not a...bad man, Captain...."

Despite himself, Kirk could feel something inside of him soften.

"Do they have something on you, Commodore?"

Before the man could answer, Jim heard the doors behind him swish open, and a look of fear distorted the Commodore's face, his eyes captivated by something over Jim's shoulder.

Kirk turned around to see who had intruded. It was McCoy, Dr. Sapri and Lieutenant Smith.

"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry to intrude!" Marissa said, blushing. "We'll just come back when you're done!"

McCoy looked apologetic. "Dr. Sapri and Lieutenant Smith were summoned for a conference in CR 34..."

"It's quite alright," Kirk assured her, looking at McCoy, who was gently pulling the flustered woman away.

His eyes then landed on the Romulan. She was staring at Commodore Daniels, her demeanor radiating intensity.

"Come, Sienae!" Marissa said, grabbing the other woman's hand.

Kirk turned back to Commodore Daniels, whose eyes were fastened behind him, a look of terror on his face. Suddenly, the man on the screen rearranged his features into something far more stern.

"That should give you something to think about, then, Captain. Give up the fight. You'll never win. See you in court."

With that the screen went blank and when Jim turned around again, he was alone in the Conference room.

*19*

Spock walked down the hall with Scotty at his side, discussing their next mission that was to immediately follow the court martial. As they went over the details, Spock noticed Sienae slipping out of the HS Lab, her eyes becoming wide when she saw the two men approaching. 

"Good afternoon Lieutenant," the engineer said amiably as he passed.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Scott...Commander," she added, her eyes fixed upon the Vulcan with intent.

"Good afternoon," Spock responded politely, not breaking his stride. He didn't have to look to know that she had begun following them.

"Did ye need somethin', lass?" he heard Scotty ask.

"I'm on my way to the Transporter room to pick up a personal delivery."

The beeping of a communicator caused the three people to come to a halt.

Scotty pulled it out of his pocket.

"Scott here."

"Stills here. The new crystals from Marder V are ready for testing."

"I'll be right there."

He flipped the device shut and looked at his companions apologetically before dismissing himself and turning around to head in the opposite direction. Once that he was certain that they were alone, and her privacy would not be compromised, he turned to the Romulan.

"I would like to extend my condolences on behalf of myself and Captain Kirk."

She nodded silently, her eyes never leaving his.

"He used to write to me…” she said. “We took different paths in this life, but Sendal and I remained close nonetheless. It is a deep loss."

Spock nodded, and was about to turn towards the lab, when she spoke again, quietly.

"I'm the last of my line," she said, and then, even more quietly. "And so are you."

Spock said nothing to this, but decided to change the subject.

"You had a parcel to retrieve.”

"Why did you choose a mate with whom you will not bear children?" she asked, her eyes boring into his. "And a mate who will not live as long as you will...what will you do if something happens to him?"

"I fail to see how any of this is your concern, Lieutenant. Now, if there is nothing more-"

"I know I am being forward Commander, and for that I ask you to forgive me...I have had to fight for what I have thanks to my heritage, and it is not often that I find someone with a similar struggle...I know what it's like to not be fully accepted...the humans at my school didn't trust me because I was born Romulan, and Sendal received just as much contempt and suspicion when he joined the Empire."

When Spock said nothing, her eyes became determined.

"Our fates, as our ancestry, are brothers. There may come a time when peace over the galaxy is attained, and when that time comes, being a Starship Captain will not be a dangerous occupation."

The Vulcan suddenly stiffened, not appreciating the direction that this monologue seemed to be heading.

"For now, there is the heavy threat of war, threats that we know of and so many that we do not...not to mention the fact that there are countless uncharted territories with unknown intentions-"

"Do you have a point, Lieutenant?" Spock asked stone-faced, and was cursing himself internally for allowing this discussion to ensue.  

"My point is that, if anything happens to your... _ Captain _ , you will need a replacement-"

"This conversation, Lieutenant, is over," Spock said, his voice and expression schooled into apathy, while he fought against the rage and shock at the sheer  _ audacity _ of the woman.

There had been plenty of occasions in his years of service with Starfleet when conversations arose that were downright surreal...one of his least favorite being a conversation with a Sativitian princess who had assumed that Kirk was a literal  _ gift _ from the United Federation, as on Sativit, yellow was reserved for presents....

But Sienae Smith was a woman raised by humans, a culture that Spock had had a lot of time to get used to, and she was proposing to be a replacement mate if Kirk were to die.

Unexpected and enraging wasn't even scratching the surface.

Spock turned to leave this entire thing in the hallway, when a strong hand grabbed his clothed elbow and pulled. He turned around, his fury nearly coming to the surface.

"Lieutenant this is highly inappropriate," Spock said, his voice threatening.

Her eyes gleamed with her own anger.

"He may not even be a Captain after tomorrow," she hissed. "And what will you do? Would you leave your position? Leave your career and space behind for a mate that will die halfway into your life?"

"Lieutenant..." Spock looked down at the hand that was firmly grasping his elbow.

She shook her head, raising her chin in defiance.

"Space is a dangerous place, Commander."

"Lieutenant, I suggest you report to sickbay, as your conduct appears to be severely compromised due to your personal loss. I will inform McCoy of your arrival.”

With that he tugged his arm away and strode to the 'lift without looking back.

*20*

Kirk looked at himself in the mirror, nervousness flipping around in his belly like a newt.

He felt hot in his formalwear, and he shifted uncomfortably as he viewed his appearance with scrutiny.

Areel and Dalisay had beamed down fifteen minutes earlier to make sure things were to her liking and was expecting Kirk, Usui and McCoy in ten minutes. Spock would be arriving after the lunch recess, in the meantime, the Vulcan was to remain on the ship.

He sighed and straightened his shirt for the third time and glanced over at his bondmate's own formal blue uniform hanging on their wardrobe door, his stomach twisting. It wasn't just  _ his _ career on the line, but possibly Spock's as well. The idea tormented him, planting little seeds of doubt and self-loathing in the dark corners of his mind that were reserved for the less pleasant aspects of his personality.

As though he had heard the disquieting shift in Jim's consciousness (which he probably had), Spock entered their quarters, his hands behind his back. His eyes looked over Jim with obvious, lingering appreciation before finding the human's.

"You look exquisite, T'hy'la."

Kirk braved a smile, attempting to exude his usual overconfidence.

"Thank you, Mr. Spock."

The older man frowned and approached his bondmate, gently touching Jim's face.

Kirk sighed and leaned into the warm hand, his false smile slipping as he took the comfort that his lover was offering.

"Kaiidth, adun. Whatever happens now, we shall face side by side, as we have always done."

"Will you still love me if I'm not a Starship Captain?" Kirk felt ridiculous at his insecurity, but his command had always been a thing of pride for him....

Spock took Jim's left hand with both of his, encircling it tenderly in his grasp.

"There is nothing that can keep me from loving you," Spock said, bringing their entangled hands to his lips and kissing Kirk's.

Jim felt a genuine smile spread across his face. "I don't deserve you," he said quietly.

"You are entitled to your opinion, Captain, regardless of its inaccuracy. I shall accompany you to the Transporter room."

"I'd like that."

They exchanged a long, soft kiss before parting and exiting their quarters.

*21*

They were in the hallway when Spock's communicator went off.

"Spock here."

"Commander! Somethin's 'append in the Brig! The Cyborg!" Scotty's voice said frantically on the other end.

Kirk's concerned filled eyes met Spock's.

Spock stopped walking.

"Elaborate."

"She's  _ dead _ , Mister Spock!"

"From my understanding, Mr. Scott, Yeoman Bruke has been deceased for quite some time," Spock replied, his eyes narrowed slightly, the only evidence of his confusion.

"Everything inside of 'er is destroyed, sir! All of her machinery, her internal computer, all gone, sir!"

"A self destruct function?"

“Possibly, sir! But she couln’ ‘ave initiated a self destruct, she was shut down!"

McCoy appeared in the hallway and beckoned to Kirk. Spock noticed the gesture and reached out to grab his husband's hand.

"I'll be right there, Mr. Scott. No one is to leave the area, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

Spock flipped the communicator shut and looked at his husband.

"I must attend to this. We shall reconvene in court in approximately 27 minutes."

"Of course," Kirk said, his stomach beginning its carnival act again, his heart pounding in his chest at the abrupt departure of his lifemate...his rock. "I'll see you soon."

Spock squeezed Kirk's hand affectionately and pulled away.

Jim wanted to hold onto him...wanted to beg him to come with him, but then shook himself internally, reminding himself that he would see him in a half an hour.

He watched Spock turn and run for the Turbolift, a pang in his heart.

"We have to go, Jim," Bones urged from behind him.

Kirk nodded, and reluctantly turned to leave.

When he walked into the Transporter room, Dr. Usui was already standing on the landing pad, wearing her formal uniform, an Ametian metal gleaming proudly over her heart.

Marissa was standing beside the transporter, smiling at McCoy as he stepped onto the landing pad.

Jim stepped up beside his best friend, ready to energize.

"Good luck, Captain!" Dr. Sapri said, warmth emanating from her lovely green eyes.

"Thank you...I'm gonna need it," Kirk said with a nervous grin.

Marissa looked around expectantly. "Where's Mr. Spock?"

"He'll be joining us in a few minutes," Kirk assured her.

She nodded in understanding and her eyes turned back to McCoy, as she leaned against the platform whimsically.

"See you when you get back, Doctor," she said, blushing a little.

Jim looked over at his best friend, smirking a little.

"I'll see you soon, Doctor," he replied with a sly smile.

She giggled and pushed herself away from the platform with both hands as they energized.

Bones and Kirk exchanged a glance before the Transporter room began to disappear around them.

*22*

Mr. Scott had not been exaggerating.

The body of Anita Bruke was mangled, as though someone had pumped acid through her organs. Her body was melting from the inside out. The human tissue that had been kept preserved by an artificial circulatory system was rotting rapidly, and the hardwired interior that had been so meticulously integrated with the biological aspects of the corpse were disintegrating...her internal computer a bubbling mess. 

"What happened?" Spock asked, turning to Lieutenant Smith, who was looking at the body, her eyes wide with shock.

"I don't know," she said just above a whisper.

"Yer the only one t'was in 'ere all day, lass," the engineer said, eyeing the Romulan warily.

"I don't know," she repeated, her eyes never leaving the body. "I went to get lunch with Marissa...when I left she was fine...when I came back...."

Spock observed her closely; her usually well guarded and defiant attitude seemed to have dissipated and was replaced by a look that was far different from the one that Mr. Scott wore when  _ he _ looked at the melting Cyborg.

Mr. Scott had looked disgusted and shocked. Sienae looked just as shocked, but there was no disgust on her face...no sign of fear or squeamishness...she looked  _ sad _ .

"Was anyone in here with you before you left for your lunch break?" Spock pried.

The Lieutenant shook her head.

"You have to know how this looks, lieutenant..." Mr. Scott said, his dark eyes filled with concern.

That got her attention, and her eyes snapped to Scott's.

"Are you accusing me-"

"I'm not accusing ye of anything Lieutenant, I'm simply stating that, from the looks of it-"

"How dare you! You have no evidence-"

Spock wasn't paying attention to the banter between the two...he had been suddenly overcome by an overwhelming sense of uneasiness that he knew was not coming from him, but from the bond. Spock focused on the feeling, following it back to its source.

He could feel confusion and discomfort coming from his beloved's side of their  _ tel _ .

"Mr. Scott, please come with me," Spock said, bringing their argument to an abrupt end.

"But, Mr. Spock-"

"We shall attend to this this situation later. Please accompany me to the Bridge."

"But, why, sir?"

Spock began to feel panic stirring in his own gut as his mind reached out to his T'hy'la's.

"Something's wrong."

*23*

"Well, this can't be right," McCoy said, looking around at the open space in which they had rematerialized. "Aren't we supposed to be on Postenje?"

An enormous hot sun beat down on them mercilessly, and though Jim didn't so much mind the heat, he did mind the scorching light against their skin. Dr. Usui was looking particularly affected by this sudden and unpleasant change of climate, and Bones just looked downright pissed.

They were looking at flat land all around them. In one direction there were rock cliffs jutting against the horizon, the stones shimmering in the sunshine casting beams of blue and purple light into the eyes of the aliens. In the other direction there was a jungle that stood lush and vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. Everywhere else was desert.

"Where the  _ hell _ are we?" McCoy said, looking around and blinking frantically against the punishing sunlight.

"I don't know, Bones, but I suggest we get out of the sun and try to figure it out," Jim said rationally, glancing over at the Ametian who was steadily looking weaker. "We'll seek shade under those trees."

The doctors both nodded and they began walking slowly toward the only sign of life within their sights.

It was farther away than they had thought, the flatness of the terrain and the brightness of the sun playing tricks on their perception.

Usui nearly collapsed halfway there, and both men reflexively reached out to steady her.

"Thank you, gentlemen...I merely tripped," she said, her usually strong voice weak but peeved, causing the two men to exchange expressions of concern.

Kirk looked down and saw that she had, in fact, tripped over a red and orange stone sticking out of the ground, its smooth, crystal like features reflecting the sunlight making it look like fire.

The Ametian observed it with a strange look on her face, but Bones gently took her arm and began leading her to the trees which were coming closer into view.

When they finally reached the shade of the trees, they all sat on the floor simultaneously, relief evident on all of their faces. It took a minute for Jim's eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness after their walk through the blinding light, and when they did he nearly smiled at the beauty of it.

The trees that shaded them now were crowned with dark blue leaves, flowers and fruits of various shades of green, pink and grey were hanging loosely from them with the serenity of life without interruptions.

The tree trunks were pale white; patterns like ripples were spread across the smooth bark. The grass was lush and high wherever the shade touched, and tiny purple pods were growing from the ground. The colors and the patterns gave the arena the effect of being underwater, and Kirk found that, despite the strange circumstances, the place was beautiful and peaceful.

"They must have given us the wrong coordinates," Bones muttered, as though he had been puzzling this out the entire time.

"If that's the case, then where's Areel and Dalisay?" Jim pointed out, still looking around.

Bones shrugged. "It was just an idea."

"There's no life here," Dr. Usui said, her large round eyes reflecting the blues and purples as she looked around with scrutiny. "Plant life, yes, but nothing eating the-"

Her eyes widened as she stepped closer to a grey fruit hanging low enough to be eye level with the short woman. She carefully reached out and turned it, barely touching it and never removing it from its vine. She pulled away from it and looked around, looking distraught.

"We have to get off of this planet immediately," she stated, her big eyes looking into Kirk's intensely.

"You know where we are?"

"We're on Noroi Omega."

"I've never heard of it."

"Sounds familiar..." Bones murmured.

"Don't touch the vegetation, and don't let any of the natural fluids touch your skin. Nothing here is edible. Use your communicator. Get us out of here."

Jim was struck by her clipped tone, but pulled out his communicator nonetheless.

"Kirk to Enterprise, come in Enterprise."

There was nothing.

"Come in, Enterprise," he repeated.

He knew they couldn't hear him...knew because he could feel a wave of distress through his bond with Spock...the Enterprise didn't know where they were...Spock didn't know where he was....

He kept his face calm and tried to do the same to the turbulent emotions that were beginning to surge in his mind.

His first thought was of Spock on the ship, worried and exhausted...this really was the last thing that his Vulcan needed. 

His next thought was of their immediate issue: how were they going to flag the ship down? If this place really was as inhospitable as Dr. Usui's facial expression was leading him to believe, then how were they going to survive in the meantime?

His mind jumped to Areel and the Court Martial...would they think that he had fled? Would they hold him in contempt for this? What would happen to him when they returned?

"Spock?" he tried into the communicator, looking at the little Ametian doctor, an apology already manifesting in his eyes.

She shook her head and looked up at the trees again, as though expecting something to come crashing down at any moment through the leaves and eat them all alive.

Jim looked over at McCoy who was watching Pyua, his brows furrowed with confusion and mounting concern as he took to glancing up at the skies, trying to see what she saw. Finally he looked fed up with the entire situation and raised his eyebrows at the woman.

"Well, you gonna fill us in, or kill us with suspense first?"

"This place is cursed," Pyua said quietly. "They say that an entire race came to this planet to reach enlightenment and then die."

"And how was this achieved?"

Usui nodded at the fruit, contempt glittering in her round eyes.

"One bite, and you can see the future...the mind becomes one with every molecule in the universe."

"Is that true?" Jim asked.

"The Denbora fruit!" McCoy chimed in, his own eyes becoming wide with the realization. "We had training on it in Medical and Science departments! But the ones that I saw were pink...."

"Yes," Dr. Usui said. "The color is different, as are the effects, because the soil and water that the seeds are grown in have different minerals than on their native planet."

"Somebody had the bright idea of trying to harness the 'psychic capabilities' these things are said to give you..." McCoy added.

Jim silently thanked his lucky stars that he had landed here with two  _ doctors _ .

"That didn't work out, I take it," he said.

"No. They abandoned the project and then the seeds were stolen and are now harvested and made into a drug: Silyeog."

"The one that killed that kid in engineering?”

"That's the one. This place has been put on the black list...no one's supposed to be here."

"Well my appetite is officially ruined," Kirk said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's just hope we can find a way out of here in the next seven days."

"I'm afraid we don't have that much time, Captain," Dr. Usui said. "It will be fully daytime here in two Standard days, and Noroi Omega will be so close to the sun that we will die from heat and dehydration."

Kirk frowned deeply at the comment.

"You seem to know a lot about this planet," he muttered.

"I had to write a paper for school," she said, sounding as bitter as he felt.

“What else should we know?” he asked, not really wanting to know the answer. 

Pyua looked over at one of the low hanging pink fruits and gingerly pulled it from its branch. She approached a large rock and threw the little fruit at it with enough force that it splattered over the rock. 

Kirk didn’t know what to think of her sudden outburst until the fruit’s juice began to sizzle against the rock. 

Within minutes the juice had burned through wherever it had made contact with the rock, the blue grass visible through the holes. 

“It’s called Piti fruit,” she supplied. 

Kirk and McCoy stared at the mutilated stone in silence for a moment. If the desperation of their situation had not settled in yet, it had at that moment. 

"This place must be protected in some way in order to ensure that there will be no visitors like ourselves..." Kirk croaked.

"You would know more about that than I," Pyua said, shaking her head.

All three of them turned their eyes up at their doom that peeked in on them through blue leaves.

Jim looked around slowly, observing his environment. He focused on his heart, which was pounding in his chest as the gravity of their situation weighed against him. His focus helped his raging emotions to find the rhythm, to ban together like a current, herding his jumbled thoughts together and carrying them to productivity. He had to make a plan.

He could feel Spock from so far away...could feel the gentle whirring of his calculated thoughts, and it helped to settle him. Spock was making a plan too...he was looking for them....

*24*

"Dere's forty six planets in dis wicinity, Commander," Chekov called to Spock from where he sat at the scanner.

Spock turned to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, contact all planetary governments and ask if there were any reported unscheduled Transports."

"Aye, sir."

"Ensign, give me a visual of all uninhabited or otherwise undeveloped Class M planets in the vicinity."

"Aye, sir."

Eighteen planets appeared on the Viewscreen. The Vulcan scanned the information with his eyes.

The call from Lieutenant Shaw had not been a surprise to the Commander. Kirk's group had not arrived at their designated coordinates, and despite Areel's insistence that there was something wrong, that Jim had been on his way, the officers of the Court Martial were becoming impatient. 

It had been an hour since the three Enterprise crewman had gone missing, and Admiral Daya had taken the reigns in their recovery. Because the planet of Postenje was in such a populated location, the area had been divided among those available to assist in the search. It was a blessing that Dr. Usui had been one of the trio, as Ametians did not often leave their home planet due to their very restrictive diets, and scanning for her lifeform would narrow their search significantly.

"Eliminate 3, 7, 14 and 18."

"On vat grounds, sir?"

"The environmental conditions are too neutral," he said and watched as the listed planets disappeared from the screen.

He was focused intently on the bond, keeping stringent watch over his bondmate from afar, his mind keeping his emotions tightly bound as his heart was tempted to fall into panic and despair at the sudden loss of his mate. Instead, he monitored his  _ adun _ from a distance like a class-A stalker. 

Jim was enduring minor physical discomfort: an injury could be ruled out because there was no actual  _ pain _ , which left elemental properties to be the most likely of the remaining choices. This meant a planet that was either significantly hotter or colder than average.

He was not in physical danger of any predators, as his heartrate was normal considering the stress that he was most likely under. He wasn't going to rule out the possibility, though, as the wildlife could present dangers at different day parts.

"Eliminate 6 and 9."

The weather on those planets would have already killed the three visitors without proper gear.

"Zat leaves 12 planets to be scanned, sir," Chekov said, sounding doubtful.

Spock looked over the remaining planets, skimming down the information, his mind trying to focus on the task at hand but was failing as the distance from his bondmate was near crippling in ways that he had not imagined. When he had been alone on Ame, he had gone into a healing trance that had removed him from this feeling of utter loneliness. 

Now it felt as though his mind was split in half, one half wanting to huddle in the pool of light that his lover cast upon their link and take refuge there, hiding from the doubts that lurked in the dark places in his mind...the ones that Jim had known so intimately from melds and from their many discussions before and after their bond. 

“Ensign, organize the planets for scanning as follows, 4,15, 5, 11, 16, 13, 1, 10, 12, 8, 2, 17. Begin scanning for all Ametian lifeforms, Lieutenant Sulu."

"Commander, that could take-"

"I know how long it could take, Lieutenant. follow your orders," Spock interrupted. "Lieutenant Uhura, have you received any word?"

"Nothing as of yet, sir. I'll keep trying," she said, one hand pressing against her earpiece , while her other hand flew over her controls.

Spock looked back at the Viewscreen, but he was suddenly aware of his beloved's attention on their bond and his heart nearly leapt out of its chest, his mind reaching for its mate.

_ I'm looking for you, T'hy'la. I will find you and bring you home to me. _

He was no fool...no mere malfunction could have transported the three beings to another planet...this was intentional. Though the purpose was unknown, Spock was going to function under the assumption that whoever had relocated the Captain had done so with plans to do him harm.

 

*25*

 

_ I'm looking for you, T'hy'la. I will find you and bring you home to me. _

He could still hear his husband’s reassuring words drifting through his mind, the closeness both comforting and frustrating. How could he feel his lover’s presence all around him, feel that love caressing him from afar and hear his words drift through his mind and yet be completely incapable of telling him where they were?

“What’s new on Vulcan radio?” Bones asked from where he sat not far from the Captain. 

Dr. Usui was huddled in the darkest shadow that she could find, her body shivering and her skin clammy. McCoy looked over at her, worried at how rapidly her health had degraded in the past five hours. 

“Nothing new.”

“And there’s...nothing you can do?”

Kirk sighed and shook his head. “I’m trying, Bones. In the meantime I think we should focus on how we’re going to survive if we’re not found in time.”

McCoy looked over Jim’s shoulder at the inhospitable land that stretched beyond their temporary shelter of poisonous plant life, his clear blue eyes searching in that intent way that always reminded Jim of a cat watching the grass for unsuspecting birds. 

Besides Spock, Bones would be the only other person that Jim would choose to have by his side in a crisis. 

Kirk followed his gaze to the hot desolation that shimmered under the sunlight, letting his focus wander at the nothingness that fell between the jungle and the cliffs. 

“You think those cliffs have caves?” Kirk asked, turning to his best friend. 

“Possibly, but without food or water, we probably wouldn’t last much longer after a walk like that,” Bones said without looking at him, as though he had already thought about it. “We could die of exhaustion before we even get there....we don’t know how far away it is...this place has a funny way of messing with our perception.”

Kirk sighed and leaned his head back against a tree trunk, closing his eyes and focusing on Spock, sending what little energy he had to the bond in a feeble and novice attempt to offer support to his bondmate. 

 

*26*

 

It had been nearly twelve hours since the scanning of the first planet had begun, and it was almost complete, having taken a far longer time than usual due to its large size and constant dust storms which caused the planet to have to be scanned section by section according to where weather would allow a scan. It was the most likely planet of the list for them to have landed on, according to Spock’s calculations. 

Chekov and Sulu were moving as efficiently as possible, but they were growing weary. Uhura had received word from all inhabited planets that there were no reported Transporter mishaps, and so far their search parties had revealed nothing. 

Spock himself was growing tired at a much more rapid pace than he was used to and was not surprised when Dr. M’Benga stepped onto the Bridge from the Turbolift, his medical scanner raised in front of him in what seemed to be the standard greeting of everyone who worked in Sickbay. 

“Doctor,” Spock acknowledged from the command chair.

“Commander, I’m going to have to ask you to accompany me to Sickbay for a few moments. I’m not thrilled with your current condition.”

“If you don’t mind, doctor, I believe that this situation takes precedent over my slight fatigue.”

“You don’ think I can handle a few planet scans, Mr. Spock?” Scotty interceded from his station, looking slightly insulted. 

Spock stared at the engineer. He had a point. His presence on the Bridge was not going to make this process any faster...but he wanted to  _ be here _ ...he had to be here for  _ Jim _ ….What if Kirk somehow made contact, or what if they  _ found  _ him? 

“It’s just for a few moments, Commander,” M’Benga assured him.

Spock nodded and stood up. 

“Mr. Scott, you have the conn.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Keep me updated on all progress,” Spock added before stepping into the ‘lift with the Doctor. 

“Aye, sir.”

When the doors closed the accursed med scanner was out again, waving over the Vulcan who had his arms crossed over him in an obvious display of annoyance. 

The doors opened and the two men headed for Sickbay. Lieutenant Smith rounded the corner to witness where the two men were going. 

“Are you alright, Mr. Spock?” she said immediately. 

“I am well, lieutenant. Get back to your station,” Spock said in a clipped tone before the doors to Sickbay closed, removing the concerned Romulan from his sight.  

“Doctor, you have my attention,” Spock said, turning to M’Benga, making no attempt to hide his displeasure. 

“Your readings are showing alarmingly high levels of fatigue and malnutrition,” the Doctor said calmly. 

“May I remind you that Vulcan readings-”

“Vary from that of humans’ significantly. Yes, I know this argument of yours well, Mr. Spock. My medical scanner has been calibrated for Vulcan anatomy specifically, so we can put that to rest now.”

Spock frowned, and suddenly missed McCoy: something he would  _ never  _ admit out loud. 

“I also know that you have not slept and I have to assume, meditated, since you’ve taken on the position of Acting Captain. McCoy has in his reports that you have not eaten regular meals. The Captain is also missing and,when found, will have to face a Court Martial. All of this strain is detrimental to even Vulcans, and paired with the fact that your bondmate is missing and not near for psionic and emotional nourishment, I should say that your health is at a severe low, despite your ability to hide it well. You’re on the verge of collapse, Acting Captain.”

There was silence for a moment as Spock stared at M’Benga, knowing that, in McCoy’s absence, this man had the ability to remove him from command if he deemed him to be medically unfit.

“And what treatment do you prescribe? Perhaps a stimulant?”

“Eat a meal and sleep. I’m removing your from duty for at least 8 hours.”   
“I shall take a meal, and 3 hours of sleep and 30 minutes of meditation should suffice…” Spock bargained. 

“6 hours of sleep and 30 minutes of meditation,” the doctor countered. 

“4 hours of rest and I’ll eat two meals.”

“Two meals and 5 hours of rest is my final offer...and that’s because I know how difficult it is for a Vulcan to rest without the presence of his  [ _ sa-telsu _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151363694528/sa-telsu-husband) .”

“I shall proceed to my quarters now where I shall take a meal,” Spock conceded. 

M’Benga nodded as a sign of dismissal before making a note on his PADD and disappearing into his office. 

Spock made good on his promise and headed to the replicator in the “greenhouse” eating a vegetable soup, all the while taking advantage of the silence of the room to focus on their bond. From the feel of it, Spock could tell that his human was sleeping, which, after nearly 23 hours was to be expected. He could feel that Kirk was still rather uncomfortable and hungry, but he was well enough to rest and Spock tried to take comfort in this. 

He finished his food and went back to their quarters. 

 

The first thing that hit him when he walked through their doors was the smell of Jim. Spock had to sit down to steady himself, his heart aching in his side, his hand grasping the table so hard that his knuckles were white...he was dizzy with the sickening realization that it was more likely that he would never see his cherished one again…alive anyway….

He had been ignoring the odds while he focused on his work...had shunned the dreaded numbers that promised to swallow him in despair. But here, alone in their quarters with nothing but exhaustion and the scent of his beloved to keep him company, the odds had free reign to torment him.

The Romulan was right...Space is a dangerous place. 

He shook his head and banished the thoughts from his mind, focusing on Kirk’s heartbeat, and the sense of him sleeping brushing through their bond like a low tide. 

He was well. 

He was alive. 

And Spock was going to do everything in his power to keep him that way. 

He went to his meditation mat and arranged himself into a comfortable position, giving the bust of Shariel a defiant glare from his position. 

_ Not today. Not my T’hy’la.  _

He closed his eyes and breathed, his bondmate’s mind being his main focal point to help pull him from the harbor of outer distraction and float into the waters of quiet inner tranquility. 

 

Spock awoke with a start, slumped on his mat and realised that, in his utter fatigue, he must have fallen asleep during meditation, and that something must have woken him up. 

He looked around the room, quickly coming back to his senses and recognized his lover’s warmth in his mind immediately.

_ I wake when he wakes _ . Spock thought. 

He reached through the bond, feeling reassurance pulsing through it from Kirk. 

_ T’hy’la...Jim…. _

The bond became brighter on Kirk’s end and Spock knew that he was heard, and that he was loved. His throat tightened at his desperate want to touch his beloved. 

_ Jim, parted from me and never parted, never and always touching and touched…. _

Spock closed his eyes again and it was almost as though Jim was there with him...his aura and mind surrounding him as though he was just in the other room...on some other part of the ship….

_ Ensign Chekov and Lieutenant Sulu are scanning each of the planets in this sector for Ametian life forms.  _ Spock reported, grasping onto his husband’s attention in an anguished effort to keep his  _ adun  _ close. 

_ According to my calculations, we should be finished scanning Noaltoc and are moving on to the next planet on the list: Noroi Omega- _

His thoughts were cut short by a sudden wave of relief and excitement crashing over their bond and his eyes flew open. Spock rolled gracefully onto his feet.

_ Is that where you are, Jim? Are you on Noroi Omega? _

The relief and elation remained in the bond, and he hurried to the Bridge. 

 

“What the Devil er ye doin’ here, Mr. Spock? Aren’ ye s’posed to be restin’?” Mr. Scott said, his brows furrowed, but his body relaxed from where he sat in a chair next to Uhura. 

“Have you scanned Noroi Omega?” Spock demanded of Sulu. 

“No, sir. We were just about to begin.”

“Proceed,” Spock commanded, standing behind Chekov and Sulu, watching the Viewscreen expectantly. 

The two men did their work while the Vulcan stared, waiting anxiously to find Jim. 

_ We’re scanning the planet now...you’ll be home soon,  _ [ _ taluhk adun _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151389779443/taluhk-adun-cherishedbeloved-husband) _.  _

 

*27*

“They’re scanning this planet,” Kirk said with relief. 

 

Jim had taken the first watch as the others had slept, and had slept lightly after McCoy had relieved him. It was so damn hot on this planet and it was just getting hotter, sweat was soaking through their clothes and getting into their eyes, while hunger tore at their stomachs, taunted by the fruit hanging temptingly in the trees. When Jim had woken, McCoy had been kneeling beside Dr. Usui who was retching into the grass, her skin speckled with a hard substance that was beginning to grow all over her. 

 

“I have to be honest, Captain, I was not optimistic about our fate,” she said rather breathlessly.  

Her sickness was somewhat under control, which could have very well been because she had nothing left in her to throw up. The hard substance that had taken root on her skin was expanding, though, and she was too weak to stand as her body was trembling. 

“I knew Spock would find us,” Bones said matter of factly. 

He wasn’t looking so good himself, as his skin, which should have been flushed from the heat, was pale and his eyes had a sunken look to them. 

Kirk turned to his best friend, his eyebrows raised, trying to keep as much levity present as possible, as he too was beginning to feel weaker. 

“Well, I knew he’d track you down. He’s as stubborn as stubborn can be when it comes to you.”

Jim couldn’t help but chuckle at that as he looked up at the sky, knowing that the Enterprise was near and would soon find them….

 

*28*

“There’s no Ametian life forms on Noroi Omega, sir,” Sulu said. “Should we move on to the next planet on the list?”

“Try again, lieutenant,” Spock said, his heart dropping. “Search for both human and Ametian life forms.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

The shifts changed and the crew rotated, all but Spock and Scotty who remained on the Bridge.  

“Still nothing sir,” the helmsman said. 

Spock had been watching the entire time as the two men had meticulously scanned the entire planet. 

He had not been idle, though. All the while he had been reading about the planet...about its hot sun on one side and icy darkness on the other...the murderous landscape and its poisonous vegetation.The planet was large and had a myriad of landscapes. There were caves and forests and oceans and jungles. No life. How the ecosystem worked on that planet was a total mystery to scientists and one that remained, as no one was allowed to approach the planet again due to the drugs that were harvested from its soil’s yield. 

As he studied the planet, he had been keeping track of Kirk and coming up with theories as to why they weren’t being picked up on the scans...theories as to who could have sent the three to the killer planet...theories as to why, if they wanted Jim or either of the doctors dead, would they not simply send them to one of the other planets that had more aggressive predators or weather...why let them live this long?

Spock wasn’t complaining...he was grateful that he had time at all, though he knew that this time was running out, as Noroi Omega was likely to cook the three visitors within a day if not send them into a deep freeze or drown them...if only he knew  _ where _ ….

He had tried to get closer to the planet as to do visual scans, hoping to speed up the process, but a guard ship had stopped him before he could get into proper orbit. 

The Commander of the ship had been kind enough to inform him that they were tightening security around Noroi Omega as there had been some activity on it recently. 

“What kind of activity?” Spock had asked. 

“I’m not a liberty to say, but you may access the reports if you have proper authority.”

Once again, the Vulcan yearned for Kirk and his incredible talent at extracting information that he needed...one way or the other….

“I have reason to believe that they are on this planet,” Spock stated. “Check your instruments.”

They did as they were told.

“Everything is functioning properly,” the helmsman said, sounding nervous. 

Scotty was standing beside the command chair now, the stubborn scotsman was dead tired after being at it now for over 30 hours but stood tall, refusing to let his fatigue get the better of him.

“Are ye sure they’re on that planet, sir?” he asked Spock quietly so no one else could hear. 

“The Captain informed me himself,” the Vulcan responded. 

“With all due respect, Commander, how would  _ he _ know what planet ‘e’s on? Thar’s no labels on the ground, no _ signs _ anywhere if ye catch my drift...and it’s not like he’s ever been here before...this planet’s off limits.”

“You make a good point, Mr. Scott.”

Spock observed the black bags under the man’s eyes.

“You need rest, Lieutenant. Return to your quarters.”

“As do you, Commander,” a stern voice said from behind the command chair. 

It was M’Benga. 

 

*29*

_ T’hy’la...there are no life signs coming from Noroi Omega…. _

_ I don’t know what to do. I must find you, ashayam, I must. _

Spock kept the last thought to himself. Though he knew that Jim could feel Spock’s desperation, he didn’t want to worry his lover more than was necessary. 

He had been removed from the Bridge and had been sent to their quarters. 

Spock sat on the bed, more exhausted than he could ever remember being, his mind tearing itself apart trying to find a way to get to Jim. 

He laid on the bed and pulled the human’s pillow to his chest, taking in the scent and shuddering as he felt his heart breaking in spite of all he tried to do to not lose hope. He buried his face in the pillow, trying to smother the tears that were flowing freely now in the Vulcan’s state of weariness, his usual control eroded by exhaustion and helplessness.

It had been nearly 33 hours, and Jim was still not in his arms. 

The door chime interrupted his raging thoughts and he pulled himself up, hoping beyond hopes that it was news on his husband.

When he opened the doors he found Sienae Smith waiting on the other side. 

“Still no sign of Captain Kirk?” she asked quietly.

“We shall find him,” was all the Vulcan said, turning to shut the door in the woman’s face when she stepped through the threshold.

Her dark eyes were filled with an emotion that Spock, in his confusion, couldn’t even begin to discern. Her hand reached out to touch the Vulcan’s cheek when he grabbed her wrist firmly, his jaw tightening. 

It was a wonder he had the restraint not to physically fling the woman out of his quarters for her outrageous assumptions and trespasses...coming here and propositioning him at a time like this.

The only thing that kept him from doing it was the threat of the Brig and the possibility that he would not be allowed on the Bridge again after he had taken his “rest.” 

He collected his control once more, steadying himself while he looked at the Romulan whose eyes were glowing with excitement. 

“I like seeing you lose control,” she said in something barely over a whisper, her eyes glittering and a tiny smile gracing her lips. 

Spock wasn’t sure if he was about to correct her or strangle her, but then noticed something that he hadn’t before. A smell….

Carefully, Spock pulled the woman’s wrist closer to him, bringing her hand to his face, careful not to let their skin touch. Sienae seemed to think that this was a gesture of affection, for she began to bring her body closer to the Vulcan’s. 

Spock sniffed her hand...there was definitely something there...something beyond the usual fragrance of the lotion she had applied. 

He hit the com button on the wall. 

“Spock to security.”

Lieutenant Smith’s eyes widened and she struggled to pull away, but it was no use. 

Spock wasn’t letting her get away. 

 

*30*

“Be careful not to make skin contact,” Spock warned as the security team restrained the writhing young woman and began hauling her away. “Take her to the Brig and have the Science Officer on duty evaluate the substance on her hands.”

“You’ve made a mistake!” she cried as they rounded the corner. “Why are you doing this? I’ve done nothing!”

Her shouts echoed down the hallways until they entered the Turbolift. 

Spock took a deep breath. He still hadn’t slept but for his accidental nap on the meditation mat, but he knew, at this point, he wouldn’t be able to rest even if he gave it a legitimate try. His  _ adun  _ was on a hostile planet and for some reason his life readings weren’t showing up on the scans...he was not permitted to send down a search party or get closer to the planet….And now, thanks to M’Benga he wasn’t allowed out of his quarters either. 

He sat down at their desk, his mind whirring. He was going to  _ find  _ Kirk if it was the last damn thing he did. 

“Computer, access reports on activity on Noroi Omega for the past two weeks.”

“Working...details classified, proceed?”

“Proceed.”

“Unidentified personal ship seen on two occasions breaching secure range...research ship denied entry...unidentified material crashed on planet, believed to be a meteor...ship approached planet performing unauthorised scans….”

“Stop.”

He steepled his fingers and thought before closing his eyes and focusing on the bond. Jim was confused again, and his anxiety high, yet his mind was as active as always, already making a plan B should Spock for some reason fail. He swallowed hard, his stomach dropping at the notion of having to tell his beloved that he had, in fact, failed….

Failed, but had not given up. 

A thought then occurred to Spock: if they landed on that planet, it must mean that there was some device that had intercepted their transport….

 

*31*

_ T’hy’la…. _

“It’s Spock,” Kirk said at the questioning look that Bones gave him. They had just been in the middle of a conversation about how they were going to get themselves off of this planet, when Jim had stopped dead in his sentence.

Their conditions were worsening, as Usui was barely able to stay conscious for more than a few moments at a time, McCoy had spent the last hour throwing up nearly everything in his system, and Jim himself was beginning to see things that weren’t really there….

All the while it was getting so hot that the leaves on the trees that were protecting them were starting to dry and flutter down like snowflakes. 

Jim wanted to beg Spock to keep talking...wanted to hear his voice….

_ I can see no other reason for your life forms to not appear on our scanners than intentional sabotage. I submit that there is a device somewhere on that planet that is preventing you from appearing on our sensors. It would have to be located in close proximity to your rematerialization point.... _

Kirk could feel the fatigue seeping through their bond...at times Jim forgot how difficult it was for Spock to maintain this kind of connection, especially at this distance and with barely any help from his mate...not to mention the fact that his Vulcan was still learning and new at this whole bond thing as well. 

Jim clamped down his frustration with himself and his damn inability to learn the nuances of their bond, but knew that he had to keep calm in order to figure this thing out. 

He turned to the two doctors who were waiting eagerly to hear what his better half had to say. 

He explained the situation to them and Bones looked unsurprised. 

“I knew it was taking longer than usual,” he grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest. “What do we do now, Jim?”

“We have to find the device,” Kirk said, his head pounding. “It’d have to be close to where we landed.”

“I don’t think we have that kind of time...there was nothing that we saw when we materialized but flat desert.”

“No,” Pyua said, her overly round eyes struggling to stay open. “There was that stone I tripped on…the red one….”

“Now that you mention it, in a place that seems overrun by the color blue….” Bone said. 

“That’s right,” Jim said, the hope seizing his thoughts.

He looked at his two weary companions. 

“I have a plan.”  

 

The journey was much longer getting back to where they had materialised than it had been when they had gone to the jungle...they were hungry, thirsty and hot, and both McCoy and Kirk were keeping an eye on Pyua, who had insisted on coming with them. Her skin was covered in the shell-like substance, but she stood up and had begun walking steadily in the direction of their landing point with determination. 

Kirk and Bones, who had taken off their outer shirts long ago, had now loaded them up with Piti fruit and were carrying them delicately to the landing site.  

They were able to see the red glittering from the ground far before they had approached it, the sunlight sifting through the stone and sending brilliant light cascading over the flat terrain. 

Now that they were really looking at the stone, it was evident that it was extremely out of place. 

The three visitors knelt in unison and began to pull at the earth around the stone, the men using rocks while Dr. Usui used her hands which had taken on the same shell-like substance that had surrounded her. Digging wasn’t as difficult as Jim had thought. The dirt around the device was loose and surprisingly soft and it didn’t take long before the majority of the rather large piece of equipment was exposed, the red gleam becoming brighter and a strange hum filling the air. 

They stared at it for a moment, no one saying anything as they listened to the sound that was coming from the inside of the machine. It resembled a large red gem that was perfectly cut, and it glistened with a brightness that came from within as well as without. 

“On a planet that doesn’t allow visitors, how did this thing get here?” Jim wondered aloud.

Neither of the others had anything to say about it. Jim didn’t know who started it, but now they were standing over the hole they had made and were throwing the over-ripe Piti fruits at the device, the fruits smashing and hissing with a combination of their own acids and the heat of the red glittering walls. Despite the dizziness that they were experiencing from the heat, dehydration and hunger, they threw the fruit hard against the alien machine, each taking out their own frustration on the offending piece of machinery, each satisfied with every little hiss of the fruit melting away at its target. 

When they were out of fruit, they stared at the thing in its hole and watched as the fruit began to melt away the outer shell like salt on an ice cube. McCoy was grinning from ear to ear and Dr. Usui’s large clear eyes were reflecting the red mess of the machine, making her look like a cheerful demon. 

“How are we gonna tell them to scan again?” McCoy asked, turning to Jim. 

Kirk swallowed, not meeting his best friend’s eyes.

“I’ll take care of it. For now, we should get back to the shelter...there isn’t much time left….”

The other two nodded and they slowly returned to the blue trees, listening to the machine crumble behind them as they walked.  

 

When they arrived back into the shade of the trees, they noticed little holes all around where they had been resting. Smoke was rising and Kirk realised that the fruits were beginning to fall from the trees as the leaves had been doing not long before. Their time was running out rapidly. 

Kirk touched a fallen Denbora fruit and saw the warning look in Pyua’s eyes. 

“Do you think it tastes any good?” Kirk had asked, giving her a teasing grin, trying to keep it light. 

“On the contrary, Captain, it’s delicious,” she replied, collapsing onto her knees, panting at the recent exertion. “That’s part of the problem.”

“You’ve tasted one?” Jim asked. 

“They have its  _ flavor  _ available to the science departments for whoever is interested,” she replied. “When we get back, perhaps you can give it a try, but please stop making me nervous and stay away from these ones.”

 

Kirk glanced over at his best friend, who was on his knees, doubled over and dry heaving. 

“I need to use the facilities,” he said quickly.

“I think we should stick together right now, Jim,” Bones said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. 

“Nature calls, Bones. I’ll make it quick...don’t worry. I have no intention of being beamed aboard with my pants down,” Kirk said with a little smirk. 

McCoy nodded and moved to sit beside Usui who was watching the smoking wreckage of the device from afar. The white smoke drifted up into the hot shimmer and towards the sky, its stream accentuated by the dark cliffs in the horizon. 

“This place is kind of beautiful,” she said quietly. “It’s so still, and unforgiving...I can see why one might come here to reach enlightenment.”

“Spoken like a true Ametian,” Bones said amiably, his eyes following her gaze out over the vast and lonely desert. 

Jim took a final look at his two friends who he held so dear and went deeper into the growing trees. The farther he went the darker it was and the less affected by the heat it seemed...the deep velvety blue of the trees blotting out the light, the little dots of sunshine pierced through the gaps in the leaves like starlight. He came to a tree and he looked at the fruit hanging low, its grey skin and veiny exterior making it easily identifiable as a Denbora fruit. 

His heart pounding in his ears was the only thing that he could hear as he carefully pulled the fruit from the tree.

This was the only way that he could tell Spock where they were...the only way he could save his friends. 

He took a deep, shuddering breath and focused on the bond. 

Almost immediately he felt Spock’s attention land on their shared space...the one that existed in their hearts, minds and souls. 

_ I love you I love you I love you…. _

Kirk knew that Spock was not likely to hear the words, but he knew that Spock could feel it, because at that moment he was no longer surrounded by an alien forest, but by the intense belonging and passion and love of Spock. He was home. 

He huffed out another breath and before he could think twice about it, brought the Denbora fruit to his mouth and sunk his teeth into it. 

He closed his eyes and focused on the strange leathery texture of the fruit’s skin, the sweet, light flavor of its flesh….

Dr. Usui was right, it was delicious. 

He could feel his heart racing, waiting for the poison to take its effect. 

Jim opened his eyes and found that the pinpricks of light around him were spinning...he was dizzy and he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He let them sink shut and he felt himself fall back, his head hitting the grass. 

 

He wasn’t on Noroi Omega anymore. 

He was holding onto Spock as they walked through the snow, the cold air kissing their faces as they watched Peter building a snowman with Winona. Jim snuggled closer to his lover for warmth and Spock put his arm around him, pulling him close...he smelled like cardamom and pine….

 

He was lying against Spock on a sofa looking out of a window. They were drinking tea and Kirk felt so safe. Little flowers were beginning to grow on the trees outside while the birds went about their busy schedule. Their Demtian bushes in the orchard were turning purple with new berries, and their orange tabby was curled beside it basking in the sunshine….

 

They were in a hot spring on Vulcan. Spock was pouring hot water down Kirk's back, kissing his neck and whispering alien words of love into his ear. He understood most of it, and turned his head, catching the eloquent lips with his own….

 

They were making love, the only sounds were their gasping breaths, their bed creaking and the sound of waves crashing on the sand outside of their hut. It smelled like the beach, pineapple and Spock. When they finished, they held each other wrapped in light, soft sheets listening to the ocean and the sound of each other's heart beating….

 

They were with Bones and his lovely wife who he called Natira. They were sitting outside around a campfire, Jim making Spock a s'more without chocolate while Spock blew out his marshmallow that was now engulfed in flames. The air had the pleasant chill of Autumn, and they were happy to curl up together in their sleeping bag. He rested his head on Spock's chest, Spock stroking his hair as they looked up at the stars where they had explored together...where they had found each other.

Kirk felt safe...and happy...it was alright now...it was alright to shut his eyes...it was alright to sink into the darkness.... 

 

*32*

Spock had been on the computer researching, waiting for news from the Bridge, as Lieutenant Hansen had promised to keep him informed. He was making himself somewhat of an expert on this evasive and mysterious planet, learning its history, lifeforms, or lack thereof, when suddenly he felt his beloved’s focus on their bond...a focus that he recognized immediately…

_ Apple…. _

He felt his adun’s fierce affection grasping onto him...felt Kirk’s heartbeat begin to race in a way that it hadn’t since his landing on the planet. 

Spock sent love and encouragement through their bond, closing his eyes and focusing on making his lover feel  _ safe _ ….

He made himself receptive, ready to try and figure out what Jim was trying to tell him. 

Spock noticed the strange texture against his tongue first and then a familiar taste exploded over his tongue. 

It was so familiar...something that he had tasted long ago...a class perhaps? A seminar?

At that moment the Vulcan opened his eyes, his heart stopping and his whole body becoming cold….

“No,” he said aloud, his eyes opening and his chest ready to split open with the pain of his realization. Tears stung his eyes and he reached in his mind for the bond, finding Jim’s side of it becoming colder and colder by the second. 

He pounded on the com. 

“Spock to Bridge,” he managed to choke out, his whole body trembling with panic and despair. 

“Hansen here,” the voice on the other end responded, sounding concerned. 

“Scan Noroi Omega now. They’re somewhere between sector 25-30, and they are in mortal danger.”

“Aye, sir,” Hansen said without argument and the voice disappeared. 

Spock closed his eyes again, focusing with all of his might on the bond and  _ reached _ . 

 

*33*

In the peaceful, cool darkness, Jim could feel himself sinking like a stone to the bottom of the ocean...so far away from the surface, he couldn’t remember light...it was so quiet here...so still. 

Suddenly it was as though two strong hands were grabbing him firmly and pulling him..back to the light....back to the surface where there was so much  _ noise _ ….

He wanted to tell them to go away...to let him rest...but the grip was so tight and  _ insistent _ …

[ _ Hafau be’i, T’hy’la...I fam kup nam-tor rik’ du _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/151391274558/hafau-bei-thylai-fam-kup-nam-tor-rik-du) _ …. _

Kirk followed the sound of that wonderful voice...his heart filling with joy at the sound of it. 

The force seemed to yank him from his belly, pulling him into blinding sunlight and unbearable heat as though he was emerging from water. He began coughing frantically, choking on his own breath. He felt a hand slap his cheek and he blinked away the sunlight, trying to see his assailant. 

“Jim! You damn fool!” a voice growled, filled with anguish. 

He recognized that voice, but the darkness was pulling at him again, his mind the rope in a tug-of-war between the light and the dark….

The last thing he saw before slipping back into oblivion was two familiar faces, their skin turning gold and beginning to shimmer, and then there was nothing. 

 

*34*

When Kirk came to, he was in sickbay. He tried to sit up but he was dizzy, and it felt as though there was something restraining him...like his body was simply too heavy to move. He gave up the fight momentarily in favor of observing his surroundings. He turned his head as much as he could and saw Nurse Chapel sitting on a chair beside him, intently scribbling something on her PADD. 

“Christine,” Jim managed to croak, his throat dry. 

Her eyes flew to his and her face lit up with relief. 

“Doctor! He’s conscious!”

“Jim!” 

Bones was there in a flash, a hypo in hand. He looked haggard and sunburned, but he moved without missing a beat. 

Kirk could hear the hiss of the hypo and his head began to lose the swampy feeling he had been experiencing before. He looked his best friend over and felt intense relief that his friend was alive and seemingly well. 

“I gotta tell ya, I thought you were a gonner,” McCoy said, his eyes telling him far more than his words could have ever endeavored to. 

“Glad to be here,” Jim whispered. “Water?”

“Sure thing. Nurse-”

Christine was already there with a cup. 

“Just sip it,” she said, and Jim obeyed. 

Once the dryness had left his throat he tried speaking again. 

“Dr. Usui?”

“She’s fine, in her freezing cold quarters recovering.”

Jim’s eyes wandered around the room, searching….

“Spock?” he asked.

McCoy grinned giddily, and pointed. 

Jim turned a little in the other direction and realised that the reason he couldn’t move his body was because he had a Vulcan wrapped around him, fast asleep, his face buried in Kirk’s hair and his fingers cradling Jim’s head as though they had been in a meld before he had succumb to slumber. 

He felt so full of happiness and warmth that he was sure he was going to burst as he looked at the sleeping face of he who he cherished so much. 

“It was touch and go there for awhile,” McCoy was saying as Jim brought his hand up to caress the straight black hair. “Spock was doing his Vulcan voodoo with you, and Sulu brought the serum they made with the Ametian flowers...I guess you were the Guinea pig…”

Jim smiled as the Vulcan began to stir, the deep brown eyes opening and meeting his.

Relief and love and worry and gratitude came flooding through their bond and Jim could feel Spock’s intense emotions threatening to rise to the surface and knew that his brave Vulcan was doing everything in his power to keep himself from weeping in front of McCoy. 

“Could we have a moment, Bones?” Jim said, his eyes never leaving Spock’s as he continued to tenderly comb through his lover’s hair. 

“Of course,” McCoy said with uncharacteristic gentleness. 

Once they were alone, they brought their lips together in a soft, loving kiss. Spock held onto him tightly, and Jim could feel tears that weren’t his own on his cheeks. 

Once they parted, Spock sniffed ever so slightly, while the human began kissing the rare Vulcan tears away. 

“I failed you,” Spock breathed out. 

“Stop that, mister,” Jim murmured, looking Spock in the eye. 

“I could not protect you.”

“That’s not your job.”

“You are my bondmate, my T’hy’la, I have failed as your adun-”

“And am I a failure, Spock?” Jim interrupted, wrapping his hands gently around the back of Spock’s elegant neck and bringing their foreheads together. 

“To what are you-”

“When you were on Ame...stuck on that planet, I couldn’t save you...if it hadn’t been for  _ your  _ ability to communicate with  _ me _ , I would have never found you….”

“You did everything that you could, Jim,” Spock insisted, his brows furrowed, his eyes hard.

“And you did everything you could. So, logically, if you’re a failure, then I’m a failure.”

Spock frowned, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. 

“Is there a flaw in my logic, Mr. Spock?” Kirk asked, pulling his body closer to his stubborn Vulcan. 

“No, Captain…”

Jim, kissed the frowning lips, relishing the taste that he thought he’d never have again. Their tongues met, morning breath be damned, and their kisses became deeper, Spock’s fingers twining through the mess of red blond hair, pulling them closer. Jim had to pull away, trying to keep in mind that they were still in sickbay and privy to unwelcome interruptions at any moment. Spock placed a few more kisses on Kirk’s neck and throat before forcing himself to calm down. 

“So am I a failure?” Jim asked genuinely. He had wrestled with the thought after Spock’s brush with doom, and had decided that if Spock still wanted him, then he would have to dismiss the thought as all he could do was do better by mastering their bond. 

“No, my love,” Spock said, his eyes soft. 

Kirk knew he meant it. “But what I do fail to understand is why you felt it necessary to poison yourself.”

There was anger in the bond now, something that Jim wasn’t used to. 

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...I’ve heard you say this more than once.”

Spock’s jaw tightened and he shook his head. 

“I couldn’t let McCoy and Usui die on my account. You needed to know that the device had been destroyed and you needed to know where we were...I couldn't think of another way….”

“We would have scanned the planet again.”

“There wasn’t time for that,” Jim insisted. “The sun was going to bake us alive in less than an hour. I had to do something…besides I knew you’d save me….”

“The meld suggested otherwise, T’hy’la,” Spock said in a soft voice, yet the anger and hurt was still present. 

“Don’t pretend that you haven’t risked your own life to save me or our ship.”

Spock had nothing to say to that, as Kirk knew that he wouldn’t. 

“I guess we’ll both just have to promise to be more careful,” Jim offered, feeling the bond softening as the anger melted away. 

“I do not intend to let you out of my sight until the five year mission is over,” Spock countered. 

Kirk was too exhausted to debate and decided to kiss his stubborn First Officer instead. 

“There’s something that’s been...on my mind since I’ve woken up,” Jim said, looking away for a brief moment. 

Spock brought a hand up to his lover’s cheek. 

“Do I...look more tan?” 

It didn’t take long for Spock to realise that Jim was kidding, and despite the severe and life threatening circumstances that had brought them both to sickbay, he heard laughter bubbling up from inside him. 

Jim grinned widely. 

“This is a serious question, Mr. Spock,” the human tried to sound serious but failed. 

“Hey,” came McCoy’s grumpy voice from the doorway. “There’s no laughing in Sickbay!”

 

*35*

Kirk was released to their quarters with Spock, who fussed over him excessively to the point where he didn’t even allow Jim to get his own glass of water. 

“I’m fine, Spock,” Kirk reassured him. “Come sit down with me.” 

He gestured to the bed where his bondmate had created a nest of extra pillows, as though Jim was recovering from a broken back and not dehydration and poisoning. He didn’t complain, though; his body ached, and the pillows helped.  

Spock looked at there Jim was gesturing. 

“Do you require any more water?”

“Come sit down, Spock,” Kirk repeated, smiling. “I need to be close to you.”

At that, they both felt warmth in the bond, and Spock obeyed, laying in the bed beside Jim and wrapping his arms around him. 

“Are there sufficient pillows?” Spock asked.

Kirk let out a little chuckle, happy to be back on the Enterprise, in Spock’s arms...Home. 

They lay in silence for awhile, the Vulcan caressing every part of Jim’s body that he could reach, assuring himself that his beloved was alive and  _ here _ .

“What happened to Shariel?” Kirk asked, his body relaxing against his bondmate’s. He had always admired the exotic bust of the Vulcan deity and had noticed its absence immediately upon their arrival back to their quarters. 

“We had a disagreement,” Spock replied. 

“Isn’t it illogical to have an argument with an inanimate object?” the human asked. 

“Death is very animate...and greedy….I was unwilling to give that which I hold most dear to Shariel.” 

Spock kissed Jim’s temple, pulling him closer possessively.

They were silent for awhile, and Kirk was on the verge of falling asleep when he felt the presence of his lover in his mind. 

_ What did you see, adun? When the Denbora fruit showed you the future? _

Jim opened his eyes and saw that Spock was watching him closely, afraid to lose sight of him again. 

“I don’t remember too much,” Kirk murmured, too tired to use his mind. “But I do know that I was with you….It’s always going to be you, Spock.”

Spock gave his lover a soft kiss as the human drifted off into much needed sleep, his mind still clasping tightly to Spock’s, pulling his exhausted mate into the warm embrace of slumber with him.

_ I go where you go…. _

Tomorrow they would have to face the officers of the Court Martial, Lieutenant Smith, Commodore Daniels and the destruction of Anita Bruke. But for now it was just the two of them. Spock listened to the steady and sure breathing of his mate, and kissed his lips softly, his eyes drinking in the sight of his cherished one, reassuring himself until finally the tug of sleep won out. 

They slept, their minds clasped together as firmly as their bodies. 

 

_ We meet at the appointed place… _

_ I await you…. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was ridiculously hard for me to write...I feel like I rewrote every part at least three times...I think that having to rewrite it really threw me out of whack....
> 
> Here is where I got the Vulcan that I used; I tried to direct each phrase to the original source, but that site doesn't like making a page with individual words and phrases...if I misinterpreted any of it, I'm sorry. 
> 
> I was confused as to who is older than whom, and looked it up. Though Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner are literally only 4 days apart, Spock is 3 years older than Kirk...just in case anyone wanted to know. 
> 
> ** is for porny parts
> 
> As for stardates: If anyone can give me a solid answer, that'd be great. As far as I can tell from my research, no one really knows how stardates work and neither did the writers...so please excuse any errors you might find and teach me!


	5. The Door Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt for the bad guy continues as Jim enhances his abilities. This chapter was so huge I had to split it in half...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to start all nice and clean! I really was! I’m a shameless perv…there’s nothing to be done for it. This is not an apology. I can’t believe there’s only one chapter left after all of this! I’ll probably be going through and correcting some of the mistakes in the earlier chapters before I decide to post the last chapter, just so everyone knows….  
> This is where I got my Vulcan translations…I am not a linguist and this is the best I could do. If any of you are fluent in Vulcan, feel free to give me some pointers! I can’t believe that’s it’s been over a year since my last post...sorry y’all. I’m considering writing a prequel to this...I dunno, what do you guys think? So I think I should explain to everyone that this piece is a canon divergence...this story is what would have happened if Spock and Jim had bonded sometime in the middle of Season 2!

****1****

“I’m sorry, Spock...we were too-” McCoy’s voice gave out and he cleared his throat, his sunburned face was contorted with inner agony, his eyes glittered with tears. “We were too late.”

Spock didn’t have to hear the words...he already knew it was true...the bond was nothing but a cold tunnel in his mind...one that led to darkness.

He had no words for the anguish and emptiness that overtook him...the temptation to follow his mate down that tunnel to the dark oblivion was like a physical presence...a dark oblivion opening around him. 

“Spock…” McCoy tried, his voice wavering with emotion, but the Vulcan’s eyes remained on the still figure covered in a sheet.

_ Spock? _

He recognised the warm voice...that voice that had caused him to listen to the Captain’s log more than was strictly necessary...that voice that made him think of honey suede.

He turned his eyes slowly to find its source.

Spock was alone in Sickbay now...Dr. McCoy and Nurse Chapel had disappeared...along with the body that had been lying on the bed...the cold, physical remnants that once held the soul of his chosen one. 

Jim had died on Noroi Omega…had eaten the Denbora fruit, and in doing so had saved his best friend and Dr. Usui. 

_ Lover… _

That voice...that sweet voice echoed over his consciousness like sunlight over leaves...dawn drying up the dew. 

_ Wake up _ .

 

Spock’s eyes flew open and he stared into the darkness, blinking rapidly, trying to get his them to adjust.

“Lights at 5%,” the voice said softly as the Vulcan became increasingly aware of the presence in his mind and the hands on his skin.

He stared at the face that slowly came into focus in the dim light.

Golden green eyes looked over his face, worrying.

“Jim?”

His voice came out as a gravelly whisper.

“Yes, my love,” Kirk soothed quietly, stroking his fingers through the thick black hair. “It’s alright. It was just a nightmare….”

The older man focused on steadying his breathing.

Jim pulled the covers over Spock, causing the Vulcan’s heart to throb at the familiar tenderness.

The sleepy human pulled his body close to his husband’s, lending him his warmth and burying his face in the strong chest. Spock wrapped his arms around him tightly, one hand threading into the soft auburn hair, pressing his lips into the silky locks. 

It took a couple of minutes for his body to stop shaking and his heart to return to its original speed...regardless, the nightmare still hung around Spock’s consciousness like a reflection in a window….

Jim could feel his lover exhaustedly trying to take back control.

He was all too familiar with nightmares, as he himself would oftentimes wake up in a cold sweat, the condemning voice of Kodos still heavy in his ears.

Kirk watched as Spock closed his eyes and opened them again, as though trying to convince himself that this was real….

_ I know that feeling too.  _ Jim thought.

The younger man gently took his lover’s wrist and pulled the slightly shaking hand to his face, kissing the palm before turning into it.

The Vulcan recognised his mate’s invitation, and took it like a man dying of thirst took water.

He slipped his fingers onto his Chosen’s meld points like a caress, his mind reaching out for his bondmate’s in desperation, their consciousness weaving together seamlessly.

Spock couldn’t help but think that  _ this  _ was completion... _ this _ was his intended and natural state….

He felt the warmth of Jim’s mind embracing him, surrounding him with sleepy repose like a furry blanket. His human’s thoughts were drowsy from sleep, but very much real and very much alive...a ballast for his slowly tempering emotions...Kirk’s ever-moving mind acting as a balm on the Vulcan’s unseen wound.

Spock remained still for awhile, letting himself bask in his  _ k’diwa’s _ presence, feeling his moist breath against his lips, his naked skin pressed against his own….

He didn’t know when they had started kissing, or when his other hand had slipped down to gently squeeze Jim’s luscious rear...all he knew was that James T. Kirk tasted better than anything in the entire universe, and he was starving for that taste...that which only he was allowed to have against his tongue.

And said tongue was taking its pleasure, lapping into that insanely sexy mouth, eliciting tiny, delightful sounds from his husband. Kirk clutched at his hair, licking into Spock’s mouth, his heart pounding in his ears as he gave himself to Spock while simultaneously taking.

_ I’m right here…. _

The Vulcan rolled his hips, sliding his hardness against his mate’s causing the beautiful man to sigh in his mouth and throw his leg over Spock’s hip, bringing their bodies closer together. Jim let out a shaky whimper into Spock’s mouth and thrusted into their combined heat.

They lay side by side, moving together, holding each other...feeling each other.

Spock's member was weeping thick, natural lubrication as his mind touched every part of Jim's, caressing every thought, every memory, every insecurity...exploring the mind that he had loved like home, searching to assure himself that every little detail was as it should be. He could feel Kirk's passionate reciprocation gently settling on his consciousness like dew.

Jim felt the strong Vulcan hand reach down between their bodies. Spock granted them two, agonizingly delightful strokes before pulling his hand away again. 

“Spock…” Kirk breathed, rutting against him wantingly, his leg still slung over the slender hip, opening his body in an attempt to accommodate the slick fingers he could already feel spreading him open. He could feel his lover soothing him through their meld, relaxing him as one long digit slid inside of him. Kirk tilted his head back and moaned, and Spock took the opportunity to plant a wet kiss on his throat. When Spock could feel that his bondmate was comfortable, he added another, the fingers stretching the human open the way that his cock longed to.

“Oh God, Spock!” Kirk whimpered. “More.”

Spock could never stand against the great force that was James T. Kirk...especially when he begged so sweetly, sweat glistening on his naked skin, his warm hazel eyes pleading. The Vulcan added at third sensitive digit, slowly massaging deep inside of his lover, his penis heavy and leaking with want. Jim’s eyes burned into Spock’s as he moved his body in time with the invading fingers, taking them in and riding them. Spock could practically  _ taste  _ the searing demands of his Captain through their bond. The feeling of Kirk’s body sucking up his sensitive fingers made him want to explode. 

He continued to pleasure Jim slowly, feeling the heat engulfing his mind...the raw and deliciously undisciplined emotions cascading against his consciousness. 

Gods, Kirk’s mind was beautiful...beautiful and smart and powerful. 

He remembered watching Jim...on the Bridge. Spock had found Captain Pike agreeable and had been gratified to work under his command...but  _ Jim.  _ Spock could remember watching Kirk...Captain Kirk...running his ship and being a leader. He was  _ brilliant. Beautiful.  _

Jim could feel the attention of the cool Vulcan mind on his own and blushed. 

He knew there was no reason to be shy...Spock knew everything about him...had seen him at his worst... had seen the shadows of his mind...but that natural human insecurity just wouldn’t go away...the fear that one day his Vulcan just might just find a flaw that he had overlooked-

[ _ Lu tor nash-veh din-tor dan-vel, T’hy’la? _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/173137009768/lu-tor-nash-veh-din-tor-dan-vel-thyla-when-do)

Kirk pulled his lover into a passionate kiss, and rolled on top of Spock, who removed his fingers carefully from his prepared entrance, letting his eyes rove over the beauty that was his husband straddling his hips. In one swift movement, the Vulcan brought himself into sitting position, his knees bent, forcing the younger man to fall deeper into his lap. 

Slowly, Jim lowered himself onto the large, hard dick, his eyes never leaving Spock’s, letting out a breath. The Vulcan could feel the pleasure erupting through their meld as their bodies joined...fitting so perfectly together...the way that their minds fit together….

_ We’ve always fit.  _

Spock let out a sigh of pleasure as his  _ adun  _ took his full length into himself until he was fully sheathed in the tight heat. He cradled his lover, one hand still in his hair, the other on the small of his back as he kissed along his beloved’s jawline, mapping his neck with his lips and savoring the feeling of that steady pulse against them. 

“Jim.”

The word came out as a moist puff of air against the younger man’s neck as he felt Spock filling him physically and mentally. He wrapped his arms around the Vulcan’s neck and held tightly to the man he loved as he lay tender kisses on his lips, relishing the way that each kiss seemed to have its own color and scent. 

Every time the two of them melded, it was like being brought back to a place that he was nostalgic for...sharing Spock’s mind was like being brought home. 

Kirk couldn’t find it in himself to feel shy for his overly emotional thoughts that, no doubt, his First Officer was feeling and hearing. All he could do was open himself up to warm flood of reciprocation...love like an echo being sent back to him from an alien consciousness.   

A groan escaped Jim as he felt Spock’s cock getting harder inside of him, the unspoken confessions igniting a flame inside of his husband. Kirk lifted himself up, letting the hard, heavy erection inside of him slide out a little before bringing himself down hard, feeling nothing but pleasure, knowing that Spock was easing his body through their meld. He began a slow ride on his  _ adun’s  _ hard dick while the older man slid his hand from the small of Kirk’s back to squeeze his lover’s round ass appreciatively, simultaneously lifting his own hips to press deeper into the heat. 

“Oh God! Spock, right there!” Jim sobbed, clinging to Spock more tightly. 

He felt Jim practically melt into his arms, feeling a delightful shudder ripple through the meld as the human lay his head on Spock’s shoulder, letting out a tiny, breathy moan against his neck.

Kirk traced the elegant neck with the tip of his nose before licking along the sensitive pointed ear, smiling when he felt the organ inside of him twitch and heard the Vulcan take a deep, shuddering breath. 

Jim clenched around the throbbing penis inside of him and let out a little noise when the grip on his bottom became tighter. He was going to have a mark on his ass for the rest of the week. 

[ _ Nash-ra tor-zhit du prah…. _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/173137038418/this-is-what-you-get-nash-ra-tor-zhit-du-prah)

_ I’m not complaining. _

Kirk kissed his husband’s lips passionately and began riding the slick cock with fervor. In the meld, all Spock could experience was his bondmate...Jim’s breathing, the sound of their bodies coming together, the taste of his lips and breath, the scent of his skin and hair...the feeling of Jim’s arms circling him, his body surrounding his, taking him in...accepting him. 

Spock held his  _ t’hy’la _ in a firm grip, pulling the human’s head down to his shoulder and thrusting up into his beloved in time with Jim’s rhythm, pushing himself deeper inside, the human bouncing on his cock and the bed making angry noises. Kirk clasped onto his Vulcan, moans and  _ ah’s _ tumbling out of his mouth that would otherwise make him feel embarrassed if he couldn’t feel how much his noises turned Spock on.

Wrapped in each other, body, mind and life, Jim felt wisps of thought drifting into his consciousness like the curled smoke of incense. 

[ _ Nash-veh ashau vu wadi…. _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/173137061413/nash-veh-ashau-vu-wadi-i-love-your-skin)

Spock gently pulled Kirk’s head back and slipped his tongue inside of his mouth. 

[ _ Nash-veh ashau vu kashek…. _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/173137076963/nash-veh-ashau-vu-kashek-i-love-your-mind)

There was nothing but them...nothing but the scent of Spock’s skin and the taste of him….

[ _ Nash-veh ha-tor fai’ei du ha-tor…. _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/173137108668/nash-veh-ha-tor-faiei-du-ha-tor-i-live-because)

The words uncoiled around him, filling his mind with sweet warmth while his body ached with unfathomable pleasure as their bodies joined over and over, his climax pooling into his belly as his husband pushed up into him...knowing exactly how to make love to him the way that no one else could or ever would. 

[ _ Nash-veh esh-tor fai’ei du esh-tor... _ ](http://cutiebiz.tumblr.com/post/173137093443/nash-veh-esh-tor-faiei-du-esh-tor-i-breathe)

He didn’t need to know Vulcan to understand it...it was the most amazing thing being able to communicate through a feeling...to do away with words altogether and simply  _ know _ ….

And right now they both knew...could feel the bond that had once been a link created between them by fighting and exploring together side by side...by the pure love that they shared that had kindled between them...one link that existed between two people...one soul in two bodies. 

“Spock,” Jim moaned, his ass and his cock aching. “I love you!  _ Ah _ ! I love you!”

“Oh, Jim....”

It came out as a tiny plea, and Spock was coming hard, his orgasm flashing through the meld and sending Kirk over the edge, cum spilling onto their bellies in a hot rush. 

They stay still for a moment, Spock holding onto his cherished one tightly, his nose buried in his neck to take in the scent of his post coital musk. Jim had his head laid on Spock’s shoulder, his body covered in sweat, a tiny smile on his face. 

He hadn’t known how much they both had needed that. 

The Vulcan carefully disentangled his fingers from Kirk’s meld points and his penis from his entrance, and laid down, gently pulling his beloved with him. 

The older man rose, earning a sleepy protest from his husband, and after soft assurances, left to get a warm, wet towel to clean Jim up. He slipped back into bed afterwards, lying on his side, facing his  _ adun _ . 

Spock lay here for a while, his skin humming in contentment as he watched his  _ telsu _ fall back to sleep in his arms...his dark, thick eyelashes fluttering softly...his breath slow and steady. The eyes opened again, and Spock was ensnared by the inviting warmth he found there.

“You need to sleep, my love,” Jim murmured, his words brushing against Spock’s mouth. 

The Vulcan kissed him softly. 

How could he tell his mate that he didn’t want to let him out of his sight?

Afraid to close his eyes and be parted from him….

Kirk, feeling the anxiety awakening again through their warmed bond, gently took his lover’s hand, cradling it against his chest. Jim laid his head against Spock’s shoulder, and the Vulcan could feel the soft eyelashes brush against his neck as the hazel eyes closed once more, sleep overtaking him. 

Spock lay there for awhile, one arm wrapped around his beloved, while his other hand rested on his Chosen’s chest, feeling the steady heartbeat. With each, reassuring thrum, the Vulcan could feel himself follow his beloved into the velvet abyss of slumber. 

 

****2****

 

“You know they won’t like the idea of Jim being on shore leave, and off of the ship, all things considered,” said Admiral Daya, looking more annoyed than concerned. 

Spock stared at her on the screen in their quarters, his hands folded in front of him, his back straight.  

“I believe Dr. McCoy is writing a request that the officers of the Court Martial should find acceptable.”

“Well, enjoy yourselves while you can. They were pretty pissed when Jim vanished, and even more pissed that they couldn’t just get this damn thing over with when we found him...though none of them would admit to being so insensitive.”

She was silent for a moment, seeming to mull over the situation before saying “I’m sure I can swing it. Tell McCoy to send  _ me _ his request first so that I can know where to push in case it’s rejected. I’m sure I’ll be done with this whole situation on Nordarvid II, so I’ll be there at the Court Martial like I promised.”

“I would like to express my gratitude for your ever constant support of the Captain, Admiral.”

“I owe him,” she said with a shrug. “Where is he anyway?” she asked, looking over at the vacant seat beside Spock. 

Spock’s face remained a still mask of apathy. 

“He is otherwise detained, though he did wish me to convey his apologies for not being able to attend our meeting.”

“Tell him to get some rest. I know what he’s up to.”

Spock fought a blush. 

“I know he’s been sneaking around your reports, and helping out in engineering even though he’s supposed to be confined to quarters and sickbay.”

Spock felt himself relax. 

“Indeed?”

If his voice sounded a little hoarse, the Admiral didn’t appear to notice. 

“Yeah, don’t pretend you didn’t know,” she said with a smirk. “Okay, Commander, have a nice shore leave, and take care of Dr. Sapri for me...I hear you’re planning on going to Hrech.”

“That was the plan.”

She grinned at him, a mischievous look in her eye.

“Have you ever been, Mr. Spock?”

“Negative, Admiral.”

“Let’s hope your Vulcan modesty won’t be compromised.”

Spock furrowed his brow. 

“Admiral?”

Daya chuckled. 

“See you later, Commander”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

The screen went blank, and Spock bent over in his chair so that his forehead was touching the desk and let out a low moan. 

“ _ T’hy’la _ ...this is most- _ ah _ -inappropriate-” his voice drifted off into a groan and he could feel his face heating up. 

 

Approximately 20 seconds before the conference call had begun, Spock had sat down in one of the chairs facing the computer, waiting for Jim to sit beside him. Kirk had given him a sly grin and the Vulcan could feel through the bond that his lover had something... indecent in mind.

15 seconds before the call, the human was sinking to his knees instead of into the chair, leaving his husband to watch him in confusion.

10 seconds before he was supposed to ask permission for his bondmate to accompany him on shore leave, Spock was wondering what Jim could have possibly dropped under Spock’s chair….

 

5 seconds before the Admiral’s face filled their screen, Kirk was undoing the Vulcan’s pants, rubbing Spock’s hardening penis through the fabric of his trousers.

1 second before this very important meeting in which Spock would need all of his attention, James T. Kirk looked straight into his First Officer’s eyes and wrapped his lips around the large alien member, taking him down as far as he could go.

 

All throughout the conversation, Jim had paid lavish attention to the hard, leaking rod, bringing Spock nearly to orgasm a few times, just to stop and slow down. The human was thoroughly impressed with how well Spock had kept his composure during the entire ordeal. He was torn between wanting the stoic Vulcan to let his control slip in front of the Admiral, and wanting to do break the rules, without any suspicion, literally right under the eye of authority. 

Jim hummed around the rock hard dick in his mouth, adoring the way that Spock’s hands tangled in his hair...the sounds that wrenched themselves from his throat now that the screen had gone black….

Kirk pulled his head up slowly, his lips sealed tightly around his husband’s dick. 

“ _ Jim… _ ” Spock pleaded, tightening his hold on the auburn locks of his  _ adun _ . 

The action just fueled Kirk’s desire to take his bondmate apart. He bobbed his head and came back up, licking along the underside of Spock’s penis and gently tonguing the swollen head, savoring the exotic taste of his bondmate’s natural lubrication before taking it down again. Spock moaned helplessly as he felt himself coming closer to the edge. Kirk took mercy on his husband, and picked up the pace, using his mouth purposefully, urging his lifemate towards release. 

Spock could feel the heat and the lust pumping through their bond from Kirk’s side, and the more he struggled to compose himself against it, the greater it became.

Finally he surrendered and allowed the pleasure to roll through him, held steady by Jim’s love and encouragement, grounded by the firm hands on his thighs. Spock let his hands rove through the thick hair, finding the meld points with ease and locking onto them before coming hard into the soft, wet mouth with an unabated cry, feeling Jim’s release rip through him simultaneously. 

They were both still for a few moments before Kirk began to stir, tucking his lover back into his trousers and gently pulling the boneless Vulcan into sitting position before straddling him. 

Jim grinned at the obvious glare that his beloved was directing at him. 

“You could have ended the conversation at any time-”

Spock cut him off by pulling him into a deep kiss, tasting himself on that talented tongue. 

“I didn’t know you could make me come with a meld,” Kirk murmured against Spock’s lips when they had come up for air. 

“Nor did I,” Spock responded, his eyes warm as he brushed his fingers through Jim’s hair. “ _ T’hy’la _ ?”

“Hm?”

“Why did the Admiral express concern for my ‘Vulcan modesty?’”

 

***3***

Jim led the way through the crowded hallways to the Transporter room where people, who shared their appointment, were waiting excitedly to get in. 

There seemed to be an electricity in the air...the crewmembers were all dressed in civilian clothes that seemed to accentuate their physical attributes, and every breath was a cacophony of different perfumes and colognes. 

Spock and Kirk had to maneuver through the crowd of bodies, which was making the Vulcan particularly uncomfortable. Jim squeezed his wrist encouragingly, feeling the discomfort through their bond.  

Once they finally arrived at the transporter, Mr. Scott greeted them, a wide smile on his face, clearly not immune to the buzz that had seemed to infect everyone. 

“Ye got yer coordinates?”

Spock nodded and handed over their disk.

“Yer in the group after this one, sir,” Scotty said cheerfully. 

The Acting Captain nodded in silence, distracted by two, beautiful female officers looking over his husband with obvious approval. Unlike the other members of the crew, Kirk had chosen his more casual civilian clothes in an attempt at comfort. The result was more mouthwatering than it was informal, and the Vulcan had to restrain his very strong desire to step between the women and their view. Jim didn’t seem to notice as he chatted with McCoy and Marissa Sapri who stood side by side, each still wearing their science blue uniforms. 

“I’ll meet ye in a few hours,” Spock heard Scotty say quietly to Uhura as she made her way to the platform, followed closely by Chekov and Sulu. He turned just in time to see the two senior officers exchange a warm look before she stepped onto the transporter. Scotty seemed to take special care as he entered the coordinates, and checked his instruments before sending her down to the Hrechite surface. 

Spock felt a warm hand slip into his, and an undeniable sense of completion settled into his bones...his mind seemed to breathe more freely. Jim subtly leaned against his lifemate. 

“Do you think  _ we  _ were that obvious?” Kirk asked in a low voice. 

“I would like to believe that my sentiments were not so transparent...though Dr. McCoy is fond of informing me that you were the only entity in the galaxy who  _ wasn’t _ aware of my affections.”

Jim chuckled quietly, and the Vulcan could feel those beautiful eyes on him. 

“And what did you say, Mr. Spock?”

“Such a statement is illogical, as I have not met every entity in the galaxy, nor has the doctor.”

Spock could feel the bond fill with amusement. 

“Logical as always, Science Officer.”

Their eyes met and held for a moment before the Vulcan eyes traveled down to the soft, plush lips of his bondmate, his tongue begging for a taste.

“Spock.”

The voice belonged to the doctor. 

Spock looked at McCoy who lifted both of his eyebrows. 

“I hate to break up you two lovebirds, but Scotty’s been trying to get your attention,” Dr. McCoy said, his cold blue eyes glistening. 

Marissa let out a little giggle and Spock turned to the Chief Engineer who looked both amused and impatient. 

“Yer next.”

The Vulcan squared his shoulders and stepped onto the transporter, his hand still locked in Jim’s. McCoy and Sapri stepped up behind them and took their places on the landing pad. 

 

***4***

 

When the pair materialised onto the planet, Spock’s senses were assaulted by a vast array of smells and colors. The light from the Hrechite sun was darker than he was used to, and cascaded against the clouds in the sky making it look like a kaleidoscope of every turn of color. Large kites were fluttering in the air, taking on the forms of winged beasts, some that he knew and some that he didn’t. 

Though he had done a little research on the planet, the library had failed to mention its spectacular beauty. 

The Vulcan turned his head to look at his smiling  _ telsu _ at his side who had been observing his reaction with obvious enjoyment.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kirk asked, his eyes warm.

The color of the sunlight brought out the complex greens and golds of his hazel eyes, and Spock found himself captivated once more.

Jim gave the taller man a swift kiss before pulling away with a smile playing on his delicious lips. He linked his arm through Spock’s and took the lead through a group of people, both visitors and natives, all watching a beautiful Hrechite female with three tails release another kite into the air the size of a Draknian fire lizard. 

Jim gently pulled him into the city, which was surrounded by large stone buildings. Spock found himself amazed at the intricate architecture. Every building seemed to have been made with extreme care...handcrafted, evoking a sense of intimacy. 

What was also fascinating, was the way that there seemed to be a perfect balance between nature and infrastructure. One didn’t take over the other, and neither felt out of place. It was clean, seamless design. 

“Why do they not mention the aesthetic attributes of this planet?” Spock asked as they passed by a cart that seemed to be made of floating red silk, the smells wafting from it making the Vulcan’s stomach rumble. 

“What  _ do _ they mention?” Jim asked, genuinely interested. 

“Class M planet, and birthplace to some of the most renowned scientists and developers of technology known to us. A member of the United Federation. No natural resources to be gained.”

Kirk smiled knowingly. 

“This place is better known for its...lack of restrictions.”

“Restrictions?”

“The overall attitude of Hrech is ‘If we don’t notice, then it’s okay.’ As long as the peace isn’t disturbed, you can do what you want on this planet.”

“That is a highly dangerous notion.”

“It is...but it also opens the way for unique opportunities not offered on other planets.”

“Hence the rapid scientific advancements….”

“No one to tell you ‘no.’”

“That is...disquieting.”

They approached a large building with a red door and delicate carvings cut into the dark polished wood around it. Kirk entered without knocking and the door gave way to a lobby furnished in crimson and gold. 

It was only at this moment that the older man noticed the absence of McCoy and Sapri.

Kirk sensed the confusion and smiled again.

“The rest of the crew is staying at Hotel Slavny...I’ve chosen a different one for...our purposes.”

“Prudent of you...though I believe that we booked a room at the Slavny as well.”

“Alibi,” the human said. 

Before either of them could say anything else, the Hrechite standing at the front desk finished with the previous customer and beckoned them forward. He appeared to be around Sulu’s age, his long, dark hair was swept back, his horns barely noticeable as they were elegantly curved around the back of his head. He had pale, almost white eyes that emitted their own light as they looked over Jim hungrily. 

Spock bristled and the pale eyes turned to him, slowly making their way over his body with equal esteem. 

“Who might you be?” the man practically purred, turning his eyes back to the human. 

“James T. Kirk. We have a reservation,” Jim said politely, ignoring  the liberal attention being paid to him. 

The Hrechite waved his hand over the desk, which served as a large screen and surveyed the information that skittered under his vision. 

“Yes. Your luggage has already been sent to your room. If you’ll just put your hands on the desk please.”

They obeyed and went through the standard check-in procedures.

“If you need anything, you can call me. My name is Alek. We have equipped the room with any items that we have found to be most requested from members of both of your races. Whatever you use, you buy. The elevator will take you to the subway if you wish to explore. Anything else you might require, I will be happy to supply. Just call the desk ahead of time if you’d like to invite another guest.”

Alek handed them a business card with their room number and his name:  _ At your service:  _ _ Vtipálek   _

“I am available to assist you with any of your...desires….”

Before Spock could think to ask for clarification, Kirk grabbed him by his elbow and pulled him towards the elevator. 

“Thank you,” he said to Alek, who was still watching them as the doors slid shut behind them. 

“Most unusual behavior,” Spock commented. 

“Yes, well...it’s normal considering our location.”

“Location?”

The doors opened and they walked to their room. Kirk waved his hand once in front of the scanner and the double doors slid open, revealing some of the most luxurious quarters the Vulcan had ever laid eyes on. 

A large window was open on one side, the sky painting the room in purples, reds and burnt oranges as the sun rose through the clouds outside. The bed was large and covered in pillows. A large box with a red ribbon was resting on top of it, and their luggage was neatly placed at the foot. Spock untied the neat bow and clicked open the wooden box. 

It took him a moment to realise what he was looking at before turning to his incredibly amused bondmate. 

“These are instruments used to enhance intercourse,” Spock informed Jim flatly. 

Kirk couldn’t fight the smile that was inching its way onto his face. 

“This is one of the pleasure districts.”

Spock stared at his mate, his expression even, but an undeniable sense of  _ hurt  _ spread through their bond. 

_ No wonder the clerk acted so forward...and had mentioned another guest- _

Did Jim want to invite another guest?

Was this some hint to Spock that he wanted more?

Did Spock not please him?

After a moment of silence, Kirk felt a slight sense of panic rising in the bond and then realised that they had just walked into a  _ serious  _ misunderstanding. 

“No! Spock!” Kirk grabbed the taller man by his upper arms, rubbing soothing circles into the hard muscles with his thumbs. “We’re not here for that.”

He sent as much comfort and reassurance through the bond as possible and pressed a loving kiss against his husband’s lips. Jim felt gentle hands cup his face as the Vulcan sent a swell of love through their  _ tel _ , and he did all he could to return it. 

Their lips were all that parted as they each basked in the closeness of the other. 

“Perhaps we should go over the plan,” Jim said, stroking his fingers through thick black hair. 

“That would be the logical course of action, as you have not yet briefed me on the details,” Spock said distractedly as his hands slipped under Kirk’s shirt to gently stroke the cool, soft skin beneath. 

Jim let out a breath against Vulcan lips, his eyes drifting shut.

Before, Kirk had always watched Spock’s hands...they were so graceful...and sensitive. Jim had been fond of watching the way that Spock would touch things that fascinated him...as though he could look into them the way that he could look into a person through the gentle and coveted contact. From time to time, Spock would casually touch him...to get his attention or to comfort, and Kirk found that he craved it...craved it then and craved it still.

Jim had noticed that the need to be close...the need to touch had only been increasing since they had formed and consummated their bond. A part of him felt that this fact should had bothered him.

It didn’t. 

And that was okay. 

“I’ve, uh,” Jim croaked as the slim fingers traced up his spine. “I’ve packed us some formal clothes.”

“Formal?” Spock murmured, laying another soft kiss on his human’s lips. 

_ God, he’s distracting _ . 

Their formal uniforms flashed into Kirk’s mind questioningly, and he could tell the thought had not been his own. 

“No, civilian clothes,” he said aloud, knowing that they had to get going, but not wanting to pull away from the embrace. 

Spock lowered his head and nuzzled the sensitive skin under the round ear. 

“I presume that the plan requires that we change into them,” the Vulcan said, his words hot against Kirk’s neck.

Jim nodded, not trusting his voice. 

“Allow me to assist.”

Spock punctuated this by circling his hips against his husband’s. 

Jim let his head rest on his lover’s shoulder an groaned. 

“Not yet…” he breathed. “I’ve got a day planned for us.”

 

***5***

They stopped outside of the beautiful building and took in the grand entrance of The Hrechite Museum of Science and Technology.  

“Fascinating design,” Spock said beside him, his dark eyes intent. 

Kirk could feel the excitement through their bond, and smiled to himself. 

They hadn’t had much opportunity, since their relationship began, to enjoy such acts of leisure together. It was rewarding for Jim to know that he had chosen well...something that his partner would really love. 

Though they did have some business to attend to the next day, Kirk was determined to make the rest of his Vulcan’s trip as relaxing and full of his favorite things as possible...they  _ were  _ on shore leave after all….

“Anything in particular you wanted to see, or would you prefer to walk around?” Jim asked, slipping his arm through Spock’s and guiding him to the entrance where Hrechites were standing, handing out holographic pamphlets with an array of information on each of them. 

Kirk took one that included a guided tour, politely dismissing the other Hrechites littering the steps, handing out other pamphlets. 

“Try our new restaurant that we just opened! We have-”

“You want to know where to find the best shopping on Hrech-”

“-Couple’s massage for half of the price and twice the time-”

“-keep a lookout for these criminals while on your travels-”

Spock didn’t seem to notice any of them as he scrolled through the information on the thin, glass pamphlet. 

The voices quickly cut off when the doors slid shut behind them. 

“There are some items which I find to be quite interesting, Jim. Are there any that you had in mind?” Spock asked as he showed Kirk his own pamphlet revealing the sections that he had chosen. The human felt ready to burst with the happiness he felt...could feel the Vulcan’s mind running...like a kid in a zoo who couldn’t wait to see  _ everything.  _

“I think I’ll let you lead the way on this one, Mr. Spock,” he said, grinning.

The museum proved to be an absolute monument of pure information...the entire building dense with knowledge that had been collected from the beginning of this planet’s time.

As they had never been engaged in any wars, on their own world or anyone else’s, everything had been perfectly preserved over time. Untarnished history was put on display, kept fresh by technology superior to any Jim had ever seen in his travels. 

He had visited Hrech in the past, but had only indulged in the food and the drink before passing out in his hotel room. He’d enjoyed his stay back then, and had found it a relaxing and fresh experience overall.

But now with his husband by his side, he felt like it was an entirely different place...like he had never been here before...never seen it. 

They walked through the museum together, and the human found himself grateful that Spock had made a list of all of the places that he wanted to visit, as looking through the entire museum was completely out of the question. 

They passed a series of amazing and beautiful things. Stones that granted anything, under a certain weight, levitation, a device, when worn around an artery, could give the wearer the ability to see three seconds into the future...things that had seemed like  _ witchcraft _ to the Hrechites before science had made its debut. 

As they passed by another window, Spock frowned a little, an eyebrow raising. 

The window was empty for a split second and then a Hrechite suddenly appeared, waving happily at him from the other side, demonstrating a personal cloaking device. The pamphlet’s guided tour proved to be wonderfully educational. At each window they stopped at, they would hold up the piece of glass, and a virtual Hrechite would appear and tell them the information on whatever was displayed, pointing and answering questions when asked. 

They moved on the next thing on the list. Once again the room was empty until a hologram kicked in showing something that looked like a large stone slab the size of a gateway, another stone protruding from its base like a step. It had carvings all over it in a language neither of them could read, and a straight line was carved down the middle of it. 

Spock frowned as the robotic voice explained that this was an ancient ritual used to trade bodies. Two people would stand on the stone step, and the ancient machinery would trade the two spirits. Once the explanation was done, Jim turned to move on to the next exhibit, but Spock remained. 

“What is it, Spock?”

“It seems unusual that on a planet that prides itself in having preserved its history, such a device is not on display...especially one with a concept so ambiguous.”

“That’s a good point….”

“Computer.”

“Yes,” the virtual guide responded, looking at Spock with designed intent. 

“Why is there no physical display of this machine?”

“The device was stolen 5.3 standard months ago,” the voice responded smoothly. 

Kirk made a mental note to request that they upgrade their computers to the ones on Hrech...or at least the voice...if only there was a way to make their own computer sound more... _ enthusiastic _ ….

Spock raised an elegant eyebrow. “That hardly seems possible with the security that surrounds this place...something so large would require superior finesse.”

“The system was forcibly hacked, and no one was hurt” the virtual guide explained in her clear, robotic voice. “In turn, the science of our security has improved. Such is the cycle of invention, and we are honored by the challenge.”

Jim smirked at his lover. “Nothing like seeing the silver lining, is there?”

 

***6***

 

When the left through the gift shop, Jim’s eye was caught by a tree with keychains dangling from it. Spock was busy looking through the electronic gadgets that they were selling on the other side of the store, so Kirk took his time inspecting the novelty. It was a piece of thick Hrechite glass, cut into a perfect circle, and when he touched it he discovered it was a small computer that emitted a holographic screen displaying “HMST News.” It claimed to be “always current, around the clock News on Science and Technology.”

_ I have to get this for Spock. _

Kirk grinned at the little item. It was so rare that he was able to spoil his beloved this way. Spock always seemed to find little opportunities to bring his husband small gifts from a mission, or a shore leave...their quarters were decorated with sweet, small treasures that his Vulcan had known would make his  _ telsu  _ happy. 

It was seldom that they were in a place so full of things that Jim knew his husband would love. So he took a keychain and a thumb recorder that logged information automatically...categorizing by date and subject, and recording voices, using state of the art voice recognition, to log the data perfectly. It also boasted to communicate with the Tricorder and computers within its area for more thorough analysis. Jim could only imagine how much time Spock would save on his Science reports if he had this little personal assistant with him the entire time, recording, categorizing, and communicating with his Tricorder during his missions. 

Jim had to struggle not to buy  _ everything  _ in the store, but decided that he would buy one more thing...and because he was sentimental, he chose a pair of small frames that, when activated, could show the scene from wherever the other was. Kirk decided to keep this one a surprise until he could send the other frame to Amanda...as much as Spock didn’t like to talk about his feelings, Jim knew that his husband could be homesick sometimes…could miss his mother and father. 

Kirk paid for the items at the register where an enormous female Hrechite with gold skin, hair, and antlers towered over him. She had hulking muscles, but when Kirk asked for the items to be wrapped, she did so with artistic precision, her glowing blue eyes focused. She obviously enjoyed her work immensely, as she added a sprinkle of something that smelled like honeysuckle to the bag with the flourish of some great composer.  

Spock hadn’t noticed the transaction, as he was in deep conversation with a small green Hrechite wearing the HMST uniform who, despite obviously being an adult, looked to be about 3 feet tall. 

Kirk smiled at the scene...he could feel his lover’s intense engagement in whatever they were discussing...there was nothing like watching Spock in his element. 

Suddenly the scene in front of him seemed to shimmer a little...and his head felt...disconnected...dizzy….

He blinked, and Spock wasn’t talking to a Hrechite...he was talking to a beautiful woman wearing green and gold embroidered satin wrapped around her body. Jim recognized her...from somewhere…

_ We went camping together…. _

“Sir, here’s your bag,” the Hrechites deep voice came from behind him. Kirk turned and the golden creature smiled at him, the bag full of items so tiny in comparison to her large hands that she held it with two fingers. 

“Thank you,” he said, smiling and taking it before turning around to find Spock talking to the small Hrechite. 

Confusion settled in Jim’s stomach….

Something had happened just then…

Spock nodded at the Hrechite who smiled and walked away. The Vulcan turned and met his husband’s gaze before approaching him, excitement emanating from the bond. “Are you ready for lunch?” Jim asked, looping his arm through Spock’s. 

“Indeed...are you alright,  _ T’hy’la _ ?”

“I’m fine...just got a little dizzy, I suppose.”

Spock frowned. 

“You should rest…”

“No, my love! I’m fine...maybe it’s just being around all of these people,” Kirk shrugged. The Vulcan continued to stare at his Bondmate until Jim chuckled, pulling him towards the exit. “I’m  _ fine  _ Spock! Let’s get some food; I’m starving.”

  
  


***7***

 

They moved on to the Hrechite Gardens for a late lunch. Spock watched with loving amusement, and not a little anxiety, as Kirk insisted on getting as close to every flower they passed...despite any warning signs that advised against it. Spock knew that this place reminded his beloved of his late brother….He could feel the wound as though it was in his own mind. The Vulcan knew that there was nothing he could do to ease this pain...nothing to help heal this wound. All he could do was offer himself as a companion, as a listening ear, as someone who loved him, and hoped that it was enough. 

It was relaxing...strolling around the gardens that were packed with an enormous variety of different specimen. It was beautiful and vibrant, and the aroma was sweet.

The Gardens had a small cafe, which the two took advantage of: Kirk getting espresso with melted brown sugar, and Spock getting a tea made from leaves and flowers native only to Hrech. Each of them ordered a few small things to share and try, and Spock couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so peaceful. 

They were quiet while they ate their lunch, surrounded by flowers, and trickling streams inhabited by an array of tiny swimming creatures.  

There were a few people of different species sitting under the trees or on the rocks by the streams meditating. 

“This is a prime location for deep meditation,” Spock observed, looking around. 

“Perhaps you should come here tomorrow,” Kirk suggested. “You should take advantage of it while we’re away from the kids.”

There was amusement in their bond, and the Vulcan brushed his bondmate’s fingers with his own. 

“It would strengthen our bond if we meditated together,” Spock offered. He knew that Jim had a hard time including himself in things that he lovingly called “Spock time.” Especially after his father had visited and had explained the importance of privacy for a Vulcan during their daily meditation. But Spock wasn’t like his father in that way….While Sarek preferred to remove himself from the proximity of others, Spock found that deeper and more quality meditation was achieved when he had his  _ telsu  _ in close proximity. 

Kirk beamed at the suggestion, and their bond seemed to sing. The older man was gratified that there was one more thing that could bring them together...that his magnetic and busy husband was even  _ interested  _ in sharing this with him. 

“Are you sure?” Jim asked for good measure. 

Spock brought the younger man’s hand up and kissed it lightly, running the pads of his fingers along the human’s. 

“I would be honored if you would join me,” the taller man said, his dark eyes warm. 

“If you insist,” Jim replied, playing coy. 

This time, Spock leaned over the table to deliver a small kiss to the younger man’s lips. 

  
  


***8***

 

The couple moved on to the bookstore so that they could upgrade their computer banks. The Science Officer had prided the  _ Enterprise _ with, thanks to their explorations, the most diverse collection of information in the fleet. But when confronted with the immense data that the planet was willing to provide, Spock wondered if they shouldn’t visit more often, and decided to discuss it with Admiral Daya the next time the opportunity arose.

“She’ll think you liked it here too much,” Jim said, grinning. 

“The Admiral is a very logical woman,” was all the taller man said in return. 

The sun was going down as they made their way back to their plush accommodations to change for the evening. 

The sunset was an unparalleled sight that the two men watched from their balcony, curled up on an overstuffed loveseat together. 

Spock breathed it in: the beautiful sight, the smell of this place, and the comfortable weight of his beautiful  _ adun  _ lying against him, wrapped in his arms. 

They sat in silence for a while as they watched the stars come out, as though the sun was taking a curtain with it towards the horizon, uncovering a myriad of jewels. 

“We have a cat,” Jim says softly into the purple twilight. 

The Vulcan turned his head to look at him. 

“In the future,” the human clarified, smiling a little.

“I find cats to be very agreeable,” Spock commented. 

Kirk thought for a moment, and the Vulcan could tell that his lover had something more on his mind, so stayed quiet to encourage him to finish his thought. 

“Do you think, Spock...that knowing your future will change it?”

The older man felt a sense of dread through their bond, but couldn’t distinguish why his mate was so anxious. 

“Why do you ask?” Spock inquired, gently caressing the younger man’s shoulder with his hand. 

Jim wiggled a little closer to his lover, bringing his legs up against him tighter, as though doing so would make his position beside Spock more permanent. 

“I saw  _ us... _ and we were happy….”

“Will be happy,” the Vulcan corrected automatically. 

“That’s just it, though...what if my knowing it will make me careless? What if knowing that you and I are going to grow old together makes me not worry when I should? Makes me reckless?”

Spock paused to think before he spoke. 

“Jim,” he said carefully. “You have never been one to relinquish your control to anything…not even sound, logical advice.”

The human chuckled in spite of himself, releasing puffs of warm air against the older man’s skin. 

“You are far too stubborn to allow a vision of a possible future to determine your current course of action.”

Jim was giggling now, and Spock could feel the tension dissolving from his mate. The taller man pulled him closer and pressed his lips into his hair. 

“I would not have you any other way.”

 

***9***

Spock watched as Jim slowly removed his clothes, revealing smooth, tan skin as he discarded his civilian attire before he stepped into the shower. The Vulcan had to fight to keep himself from stepping into the shower with him...to taste his skin and push himself inside of the beautiful human and make him scream. 

Kirk loved that he could tantalise his husband this way...that he could  _ feel  _ the desire his Chosen had for him.  

But Spock was patient, as he always was...Jim’s meticulous Vulcan…

Steam was drifting from the open bathroom to the bedroom. The only thing private about their room was the toilet...the different parts of the room were separated by intricately carved dividers made of dark wood with small, twinkling ornaments hanging from the curves in the design. 

In an attempt to keep himself busy, the Vulcan took some time to investigate their quarters further. It really was comfortable. A small incense box had thin coils of smoke slithering from the carved design. The bed was large...and had a bedpost. Spock decided to log this information under “opportunities.”

He looked at Jim’s change of clothes laying out on the bed, and couldn’t help smoothing them with his hands...to feel the fabric and thank the Gods once more for his gift. 

His eyes were drawn once more to the black wooden box that sat delicately on the bed. 

Spock glanced over his shoulder...not knowing why he felt so embarrassed by this, and then lifted the lid to inspect its contents. 

They were expertly made...the material of the highest quality. Some things the Vulcan recognized...things that were designed  _ for  _ Vulcans..and other things he didn’t. There was a smaller silk box resting beside some of the objects, and he recognized it immediately, knowing what it contained….

He was gratified to see that the Hrechites treated those particular contents with the care that it demanded...the contents of the silk box were considered something sacred...only for Vulcans and their Bondmates...not something for a brothel.

Kirk stepped out from behind the divider, rubbing the towel over his body. Spock stared at him, his eyes roving over the bounty that was his husband...his skin moist...droplets of water voyaging down that beautiful form….

Spock’s hand was still holding the box open. Jim’s eyes flickered between the box and his husband’s face, his eyes shining with amusement. He let the towel drop, and strode closer to his lover, stark naked, his eyes boring into the deep brown ones. 

“Come on, Spock,” Jim said, approaching his  _ adun  _ who was seemingly frozen in place, his eyes giving the Vulcan a once over. “I know that look.”

Spock could feel his penis filling in his pants as his human came chest to chest with the taller man. 

“Well, say what you have to say, Science Officer-”

Spock relinquished his hold on the box top and slipped his hands into Kirk’s damp hair, kissing him with fervor. The naked man melted into the Vulcan, his body reacting with equal passion. 

Spock slipped his tongue into Jim’s mouth, who moaned and moved his body seductively against his bondmate’s. 

Then the Vulcan pulled away, tugging the younger man’s bottom lip a little before they parted. 

_ God, he knows how to tease me…. _

The Vulcan could feel the desire and need tugging from Jim’s side of the bond, and amusement blossomed through their minds as he opened the box again. Spock casted his eyes down..deciding. 

“Anything...good in there?” Kirk inquired, taking a step in the older man’s direction. 

“Indeed,” the Vulcan responded. 

“Any that you...plan on using?” the human ventured. 

The taller man couldn’t help a smile of endearment from spreading across his face...he’s always loved how curious Jim was. 

“Perhaps,” was all the elusive Vulcan had to say. 

Kirk shuddered. 

“You’re gonna make me beg, aren’t you….” Jim pitched his voice in that way that made the Vulcan’s resolve melt…. 

“Perhaps,” Spock repeated. 

The human smiled mischievously before crawling onto the bed on all fours, slowly approaching the Vulcan, whose attention was now all his. He came to rest in front of the box and then folded his legs under him so he was sitting submissively on his knees, looking up at his husband with big, hazel eyes. 

“Please,” Jim begged, voice as sweet and intoxicating as chocolate. “Pick one.”

Spock bent close enough to kiss him, but didn’t...just looked at him in that way that only Spock could...the way the human hoped he’d never stop looking at him. 

“Be patient,  _ ashaya _ ….”

Kirk could feel the words against his lips, and could feel his breathing become unsteady. 

The Vulcan straightened and slipped a slim hand inside of the box, making his decision.

“Please position yourself in the middle of the bed...on your hands and knees,” Spock instructed. Jim felt like he was dying...the anticipation was killing him, he was so turned on. 

The human obeyed, feeling naked and exposed...but trusting. There was no one else in the Universe who would ever see him like this. Through the impossibly hot buzz of arousal, the human could hear his bondmate take something out of the box and felt the dip in the bed as Spock took his position behind his mate. Jim waited, naked and wanting. Satisfaction rippled through him when he finally felt the desired touch of his lover on his back...caressing it with such love and tenderness that Jim sighed. 

The Vulcan slipped his hand lower and gave his lover’s rear a gentle squeeze, causing the human to grin. He knew how much his First Officer loved watching his ass all day….knew how much Spock loved his body.

_ And, God, I love his. _

But what Jim wanted most in that moment was to hear the sound of the Vulcan’s fly opening. He wanted his man to break the bed from riding him so hard...but, as usual, the taller man was as cool and patient as ever. 

So Kirk waited. He could be patient too….

_ Please, just take me! _

Jim would show him how patient he could be...he was a Starship Captain, after all, who had to endure hours of starcharting and monotony, so Spock could just test his patience all he wanted-

Spock placed something next to the human’s leg and Kirk’s heart nearly exploded with excitement when he heard the sound of the zip being opened. 

Spock slipped his pants down and listened to Jim whine...observed the perfect scene laid out before him...the round, delicious butt...his human’s wanting dick jutting towards the bed, already leaking precum. 

The Vulcan made an approving groan and composed himself...this pleasure would be delayed...all the sweeter….

Kirk moaned when he felt the thick, heavy cock rubbing up between his cheeks...slicked and ready to push into him….He reflexively pushed back against his mate...wanted to show him how much he wanted it. 

_ I’m yours...I’m always yours…. _

Spock held his husband’s hips in his strong hands and bent to kiss the flushed shoulder. There was such tenderness in his touch, in his lips...pleasure sounded through their bond. Kirk could feel the Vulcan’s lubrication drizzling against his hole every time Spock’s hard cock slipped past it, and the younger man felt his body opening...craving it. 

Spock could feel his lover’s body preparing itself...felt the craving through their bond and had to steady himself to refrain from slipping inside of the inviting body of his  _ ashaya. _

“Please,” Jim begged. 

The taller man pulled his hands away, and a second later Kirk felt something touch his opening. He pushed against it, letting it slip carefully inside of him. It was slim and slick with natural, Vulcan lubrication, and his ass swallowed it up, hungry for whatever his mate had to give him. Jim felt the sweat all over his body as Spock pulled the object out and pushed it back in, always just barely missing the younger man’s sweet spot... wanting to bask in his impatient human’s desire.

Kirk was fucking himself on it as best as he could...his cock weeping against the soft blankets of their bed...a bed made to host a whore, but would bed a husband instead. 

The object inside of him began to thicken, as though inflating. The human let out a little cry and  closed his eyes, focusing on opening more for whatever his  _ adun  _ was fucking him with. 

It stretched him slowly, and Jim could feel Spock's hand against his skin, making sure that the toy didn’t cause him any discomfort...gentle with his precious  _ k’diwa  _ as always...but still thrusting the tool inside of him.  

The object stretched until Spock could no longer thrust with it, and Kirk felt his lover’s hard dick rubbing against his leg...wanting to do what the toy was doing...wanting to fill him up. 

It had reached the point where it was successfully lodged inside of him, and Jim felt the warmth and the skin of his mate vanish as Spock pulled away from him. 

“Noooo...Spock! I’m so hard! I want you so bad...I’m ready....” Jim was gasping out, knowing how desperate he sounded, but not caring. 

He let out an unattractive squawk when his strong, Vulcan husband flipped him over and covered his body with his own, his eyes glowing with adoration. 

“You are astonishing,  _ T’hy’la _ ,” he panted against Kirk’s lips before plunging his tongue into his mouth. The human took it, sucking on his lover’s tongue, licking it and moaning, writhing beneath the Vulcan. 

_ I’m yours...my body is yours…  _ Jim whispered to his husband through their skin contact.  _ My mind...my heart...my soul.  _

_ And I’m yours... _ Spock replied in their shared space, breaking their embrace so he could kiss down the golden skin...licking a nipple...nipping the flesh under his gorgeous husband’s navel...until he reached Jim’s cock, which, at this point, was just plain painful, and took it into his mouth. 

“ _ Spock… _ ” the younger man cried breathily, digging his hands into the soft, Vulcan hair. 

The taller man licked and sucked at the hot, hard member, slipping his fingers into the slick opening to push against the toy a little bit. 

The human let out a loud cry of pleasure that the neighbors no doubt heard. 

Spock knew that his lover was close...knew that he was ready. 

He pulled his wet mouth up off of his human’s begging penis and licked the little bit of cum that had beaded at the tip. 

Kirk wanted to cry. 

“Are you trying to torture me?” he gasped. 

_ Perhaps it’s in Spock's DNA...that ancient Vulcan wants to take me to pieces.  _

Without warning, Spock took him down again, his hands holding the human’s hips firmly down. 

“Spock...baby...I’m gonna come-” was all the whimpering human could manage. 

But the Vulcan continued to pleasure him relentlessly until Jim came hard with tears in his eyes and his husband’s lips around his dick. His ass clenched around the plug and he kept coming until he could feel his cock becoming limp in Spock’s mouth. 

“ _ Oh my God,”  _ Kirk breathed as the Vulcan pulled off of his dick and began kissing up along the younger man’s body again. Jim could feel his body cooling..his opening becoming tight around the plug...but Spock didn’t remove it. Instead, the older man placed a small, sweet kiss on the corner of Jim’s mouth...like he had all that time ago, and then kissed his ear. 

“I believe that it is my turn to take a shower,” Spock said, his voice and demeanor composed as he stood up from the bed, discarding the pants that were still wrapped around his knees. 

The Vulcan retrieved Jim’s clothes, which had slid off of the bed, and folded them perfectly. 

Kirk let out an exhausted chuckle, still panting from their activities. 

Spock glanced over at his husband, a smug, little grin on his face, before stepping into the shower...and Jim could feel the warmth of Spock’s desire and love for him...making him feel safe...a mutual trust sounding from inside them both. 

The human sat up in the bed slowly, and then realised that Spock hadn’t touched himself even once that entire time...and he knew that the Vulcan was waiting...his patient, meticulous First Officer was planning something. It made the younger man shiver just thinking of what his husband could possibly have in mind. 

 

***10***

 

The moment the two men sat at the table, Jim’s foot was running up the Vulcan’s leg. He had been watching the tall, slender man from the moment he had walked out of the shower. He looked so beautiful...wearing a perfectly fitted, Vulcan style tunic...and those pants. 

“T’hy’la, you are being highly inappropriate,” Spock chastised, sending a wave of pure, uncut lust through the bond, while simultaneously kicking the leg of Kirk’s chair to jostle the toy inside of him, causing the younger man to bite back a moan. 

“What are your intentions, mister?” he shot back, his voice shaking, his hands pressed flat on the table. 

The Vulcan blinked with that catlike grace before leaning forward and brushing his fingers along Jim’s. 

“I would not presume to distract you from briefing me on your plans, and why you decided to bring us to this particular district of Hrech.”

Spock sent his  _ telsu  _ an image through their bond that made Kirk’s eyes nearly roll back in his head, he rocked his hips a little so he could feel the plug move inside of him. 

“Mr. Spock, I’m afraid I might be too...distracted already.”

“That is a shame, Captain, as the rules are quite explicit that you must tell me your plans before I can tell you mine.”

Jim felt the laughter bubbling up inside of him and he eyed his bondmate adoringly. 

“I guess a deal is a deal.”

White light sparkled in front of them and two drinks appeared at the table...a red wine for Jim and a glass filled with a clear, silvery liquid for Spock. 

“We need to get one of these for the ship,” Kirk said, picking up the glass and observing the small circle that had been tastefully carved into the dark, polished wood of the table. Spock touched the carvings and noticed that there were two: one for drinks, and the other, he presumed, for their food. 

Jim had chosen this place from one of the pamphlets that he had taken on the way out from the gift shop. It was as beautiful as the rest of the this planet seemed to be...the entire restaurant had been built along the biggest and thickest tree he had ever seen. It made Jim feel absurdly like a squirrel. The tables were arranged up along the branches, their own table being on one of the top branches so they could overlook the sparkling city beneath three moons. 

This particular restaurant was renowned for being able to select a meal that perfectly fit your pallet, and particular cravings, all from the oil in the customer’s palms. He had been skeptical until he tasted the wine, which was perfect. 

“This is, perhaps, the finest wine I’ve ever tasted,” Spock said, his eyebrow lifted in surprise. “Fascinating.”

“Something you recognize?” Jim asked, eyeing the Vulcan’s glass. 

“No...but its effects are similar to some Vulcan beverages,” the older man responded, holding up his own glass to inspect it further. 

Kirk could feel the delight in their shared space and grinned. 

“Well, before we get too inebriated, I suppose I should tell you my plan.”

Spock set the glass down and gave his husband his full attention, his hand finding Jim’s on the table, his foot pressing against the chair leg again, sending another bolt of pleasure through his human mate. There was something knowing in his eyes. 

“I get the distinct impression that I may not find your plan to be entirely fail safe,” Spock said dryly. 

The human grinned. “When do you ever?”

“And that I will raise objections, and question the logic of your intended course of action.”

“When don’t you?”

“And that you will take my input into consideration, but make no changes to your original plan whatsoever.”

“Probably.”

Spock’s eyebrow lifted again, a tiny smile on his face. 

“I may need more wine, Captain.”

 

****11****

 

When they returned to their quarters, they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. They had been so busy making out in the elevator, Jim pushed up against the wall, that they hadn’t even noticed when the doors had opened and Alek, the Hrechite from the front desk, had stepped inside. 

It wasn’t until the hotel employee had cleared his throat delicately and said “Your floor, gentlemen,” that they had even realised that someone else was there. 

Spock could feel himself blush ever so slightly, and reluctantly pull himself from his lover’s warmth, his hand remaining wrapped around the younger man’s waist. 

Jim giggled as his Vulcan pulled him to the elevator exit by his hip. 

“Thank you,” Spock said to the  _ very  _ interested Hrechite as they passed. 

Alek called from the elevator “I can always assist-”

“No,” the Vulcan said immediately, not turning around as he led Jim to their door. 

Now that they were alone in the privacy of their hotel room, Spock locked his lips with Jim’s and began unbuttoning the younger man’s shirt. 

Desire ached through their bond...they had waited long enough...Spock had been fighting the burning in his belly since he saw his gorgeous mate walk out of the shower looking like the most delicious creature in the known universes. 

Jim let out a little whine. 

_ And certainly some unknown ones…. _

The taller man pulled his human’s shirt and jacket off simultaneously. He moved his lips to gently brush along Kirk’s lovely neck, his hands brushing along the smooth skin of the younger man’s chest, making sure to lightly touch the erect nipples...teasing his hungry mate. 

Kirk shivered, his body moving into the touch...his dick so hard he was sure he was going to come in his pants right then. 

Spock’s eyes drank in the sight of his lover’s skin illuminated by nothing but moonlight coming through the window. As beautiful as it was, it wasn’t enough...not for his purposes tonight….

“Lights,” he said in a low voice, and the candles in the room began to flicker, filling the richly decorated space with a warm glow. He could smell the incense burning, and Jim grinned wickedly at him, his hands tugging at the Vulcan tunic. 

Spock obliged, and let his  _ telsu  _ assist him in removing the garment. 

Jim threw it aside so his eyes could rove over the half naked body in front of him, his deep, hazel eyes coming back up to meet the soft alien ones. 

“You are so beautiful,” Jim sighed before his lips were taken again in a wet and needy kiss. 

The Vulcan pulled away, his eyes dark. Sinful intent was seeping through their bond...spreading like dye in water, and the human’s heart began to beat harder with excitement. Jim tried to come in for another kiss, but the Vulcan pulled back before he could land one, wearing his tiny grin. He leant close to his human, brushing his nose along the lovely neck. 

“Get naked, Jim,” he breathed hotly into his  _ telsu’s  _ ear. 

The younger man’s eyes fell closed and he bit his lip, a tiny, needy sigh coming up from his throat. He felt the warmth disappear and he opened his eyes again to see Spock walk over to the black box sitting on the bed, open it and look inside. 

Jim stripped off his clothes slowly, making sure that Spock was watching the entire time...keeping their eyes locked together as he did it. The Vulcan watched with rapt attention, the box temporarily forgotten as his  _ adun  _ removed the rest of his clothes and stretched himself out on the bed invitingly. The feeling of the high quality silk of the covers felt delicious against his naked skin, and he hummed in approval, licking his lips a little as he felt reached down to touch his erection. 

He heard Spock swallow dryly, and he glowed...feeling like the center of his husband’s universe at this moment…

Jim locked his eyes with his lover’s and spread his legs invitingly...knowing that the older man probably had an excellent view of the plug. The thought made his dick twitch with interest. 

He let his eyes wander down Spock’s body they landed on the impressive bulge that was fighting the fabric of his husband’s pants. 

“You gonna join me, Mr. Spock,” he tilted his hips up invitingly. “Or are you gonna just sit there...looking like you want to?”

The older man responded by tearing his gaze away and pulling out something about half of the size of a shoebox. It was made of fine, embroidered satin, and the lid that Spock removed had elegant, Vulcan writing spiraling down the middle. Jim couldn’t help hs curiosity, and sat up, crossing his legs so he could try and get a better look. Spock opened it and pulled the contents out.

The first thing the human noticed was the sound they made when they came out, then the way the candlelight seemed to flinch off of them. They looked like four necklaces made of glinting, dark beads, and the human watched in fascination as his husband wrapped them around his arm carefully. There was a clicking sound as the beads snapped together like magnets. 

Spock then met his husband’s eyes...anticipation was pumping through their bond with a tiny splash of something like...nervousness?

The Vulcan approached his husband tentatively on the bed, a predatory look in his eye as he closed the distance between them. Jim could feel his whole body quivering with excitement, a grin on his face. The human met him the rest of the way and stole a kiss from his beloved...wanting his mouth...wanting to put his mouth on ever part of his husband...drink him to the last drop. He let himself taste his tongue, their kiss deep and tender...he let his hands caress down the firm, lean body, stroking his fingers through the soft, black hair on the older man’s chest. 

_ Who ever thought a hairy chest would do it for me?  _ he mused. 

Spock nipped his lip in response, causing the younger man to giggle. The Vulcan observed his mate’s happiness, and there was a glow inside of them both...something like contentment...something like peace. 

The taller man slowly crowded Jim’s space, who scooched back until he felt the cold, wooden headboard against his spine. He made to move away from it, but Spock pushed his back against it gently, and Kirk’s heart stuttered at the pleasure of being with someone significantly stronger than him...someone that he trusted with his life...in  _ every  _ sense of the word. 

The Vulcan caressed Jim’s lips with his own...let his hands move up his arms until their fingers were entwined...and brought the human’s left hand up to the bedpost. Kirk turned his head and noticed with amusement that Spock was wrapping one of the strings of beads around his wrist and the bedpost...the beads clicking together when they met, securely strapping the arm above his head. While his husband moved on to the other arm, Jim gave it a little tug to test the strength. His cock jumped with excitement when he realised that the object was far stronger than it looked...in fact, he wasn’t certain he’d be able to break himself free from the bindings without his other hand. 

The human glanced at his other wrist, which Spock had just finished securing, and he felt something through their bond….

The older man had stopped and was looking at Jim, sending a question into his mind...asking permission. 

Kirk smiled reassuringly, and sent trust, love, and encouragement back through their connection...laced heavily with the lust that was like to drive the human out of his mind. 

Spock would never hurt him. 

The Vulcan kissed his human’s fingertips. 

It was the strangest sensation...like Spock's lips are still there...even when the older man pressed a kiss against Jim's neck, he could feel the echoes of his husband’s lips lingering where they had been before. 

The Vulcan kept placing soft, wet kisses along his  _ adun’s  _ skin...and it felt like there were twenty Spocks, kissing him in the places where the older man had been. 

He kissed the spot under his human's ear, wringing a moan from the younger man. 

Jim's cock was so hard and his opening was sucking on the plug inside of him...he wanted his lover so badly he could taste it.

The Vulcan pressed a hot kiss to Kirk’s throat and worked his way down...brushing his lips against his clavicle, teasing his nipples with his mouth, tongue and fingers...each touch echoed, pulling back and crashing over Jim like waves. 

Wherever Spock touched him...wherever his mouth went, Kirk could feel it still. 

The older man watched raptly as his beloved  _ adun  _ writhed, and panted, his flushed body glistening from sweat in the candlelight...rocking his hips...his cock hard and the plug still inside of him...teasing them both. 

“Pleaase, Spock....” the human begged shamelessly. 

His Captain begging him did things to the the older man that a younger version of himself would have never thought possible. The Vulcan breathed against the skin of his husband’s belly, kissing it and delivering little bites which he knew, from experience, gave his lover pleasure. 

Jim was overwhelmed by the echoing sensations...he could still feel his love’s mouth all over his skin...his tongue on his nipples...hot Vulcan lips on his own. Just when he thought it was almost too much, Spock was there in his mind, soothing him, loving him. 

_ You’re so beautiful...so desirable….you taste so good….I love you so much.  _

Kirk felt the warmth in his belly...felt his body readying itself for release-

A comfortable pressure dimpled into the back of his mind, and he knew immediately that Spock was keeping him from coming. 

“That is so unfair,” Jim breathed hoarsely. 

The Vulcan grinned, his own body reveling in the waves of pleasure from his mate. He placed a small kiss to Kirk’s inner thigh before taking his bondmate’s cock in his mouth for the second time that day. 

Jim felt his eyelids fall shut, tears building up in his throat. Spock sucked gently, licking up the shaft, laving at the tip.

“ _ Oh God!”  _ the human exhaled, tugging a little at his bindings, knowing that without them he would have collapsed by now. 

The older man couldn’t take it any longer, and pulled himself off of his husband’s dick so he could focus on pulling the plug out, slowly and carefully. 

Jim knew he was making the most embarrassing noises, but didn’t care....he knew Spock loved it when he was vocal...could feel his composed Vulcan holding tightly onto his own control...his own pleasure. 

Kirk felt freshly lubricated fingers testing his opening...feeling how ready he was...felt the human begging through the bond. 

“You know I want it,” Kirk whispered, his voice sounding tortured. “You know I want you.”

Spock looked up at him hotly and gave the human shaft a squeeze and a stroke. Jim spread his legs wider in invitation, which his husband took eagerly, pulling his own body up to kiss his lips, lifting Kirk’s hips with strong hands. 

Spock swallowed the younger man’s cry when Jim felt the blunt, wet head against his hole. 

The Vulcan moaned as he slid inside, feeling the smooth body arching into his. Jim felt so good...so ready…. 

The older man’s eyes fluttered closed and his head fell gently against his human’s shoulder as he bottomed out. 

Spock steadied himself and Jim moaned into his hair, his whole body screaming and trembling from his Vulcan’s echoed touch and the feeling of his mate deep inside of him. Kirk wrapped his legs around the narrow hips, and the older man pushed the human up against the headboard, impaling him, one hand against the polished wood behind Jim’s head, the other holding his beloved human tightly against him. 

Jim’s fingers wrapped tightly around the beads, and he had barely enough wherewithal to wonder at the strength of the seemingly delicate strings. 

Kirk could still feel it all while Spock fucked up into him lovingly, holding the human like the cherished being he was, while mercilessly pounding into the tight, inviting channel. 

The Vulcan was fucking him so hard and good that Jim could hear the headboard smacking against the wall. With a combination of the creaking of the bed, the pounding of wood on plaster, and Kirk screaming, completely wrapped in ecstasy, Spock wouldn’t be surprised if the entire hotel couldn’t hear their coupling. 

_ Mine…they all know that he is mine...mine to love and mine to take... _ his Vulcan brain supplied. Something about that spurred Spock on, causing him to stop and pull out. 

“ _ No! No! More! Don’t stop! _ ” Jim sobbed. 

The older man licked the round shelled ear, arranging their bodies slightly before pushing into the younger man again at just the right angle. Kirk melted against his strong husband. 

“Is this what you desire, T’hy’la?” Spock whispered into his ear. 

Jim was so far gone all he could do was moan helplessly into the crook of the stronger man’s neck, smelling him and letting himself be taken. 

The Vulcan began slowly thrusting, knowing exactly how to please his mate...his own pleasure building to an impossible point. He picked up the pace when he felt warm precum slide against his skin from his human’s weeping cock. 

They rocked together in tandem, their breathing syncing...feeling their connection like everything was slowing down...everything outside of their shared space was falling away...their pleasure running together like two rivers meeting. 

Kirk felt the grasp around him tighten, and their breathing began to stutter. Spock pulled away so he could look into his husband’s bright, golden eyes. Kirk looked back, and there was nothing else. The Vulcan kissed him sweetly and Jim felt hot cum filling him up, a split second later, Spock released his hold on his husband’s mind, and Kirk’s orgasm sprayed between them, coating their stomachs in hot cum.  

The older man leaned his forehead against his mate’s as their release echoed through them both, amplified by the Vulcan restraints, and Jim felt that he might die from the bliss of it. But Spock was there...guiding him...protecting him, and holding him like he was the most precious thing he’d ever had in his arms.

_ You are…. _

Tears stung Jim’s eyes from the lovemaking and the emotions cycling through them both. 

_ I love you. _ Kirk told his Chosen one through their physical contact. 

Spock kissed him again, carefully and tenderly, and then gently removed the restraints. Jim could feel the sensations taper away as the beads lost contact with his skin, and allowed himself to be laid on the bed. The Vulcan brushed the hair out of his eyes, his fingers lingering before he produced towels and cleaned Kirk up, then collected the toys and took them out of sight. 

Jim wanted to drift to sleep, but refused to, missing Spock too much...missing the shared mind...the warmth that he had felt when the beads were enhancing their connection. 

He felt the soft mattress dip as the older man lay next to him, wrapping them both up in the ridiculously comfortable sheets and warm blankets. Kirk snuggled up against him, his whole mind relaxing once their skin was touching...he could feel Spock relaxing too at the touch. 

Jim opened his eyes to meet dark brown ones which were observing him with tenderness. Kirk kissed the older man’s nose, and offered him a tired but genuine smile. 

“I love you,  _ t’hy’la _ ,” Jim said, stroking his hand through the soft black hair. Spock looked so beautiful like this. 

The Vulcan cradled his human’s face and kissed him. 

Kirk felt the love surround him, easing him into sleep...not before he heard his husband say, “I love you Jim.”

***12***

 

When they awoke the next day it was to soft, natural light soaking through the violet, silk curtains, turning their world into a warm lavender as they woke. Spock opened his eyes, not used to waking up to actual sunlight, but relishing it. He looked at the sleeping figure beside him, burrowed deep under the covers. They had left the window open that evening, letting the fresh air wash through their room, and though the night had been a warm one, it was still too cold compared to  what the two men were used to. 

The thick covers rose and fell with the steady breathing of Spock’s hibernating mate. He shuffled closer to the bundled mass and felt around so he could pull the human closer to him. The Vulcan could feel the younger man’s consciousness begin to stir, but his body didn’t move from its warm fortress of covers and Spock’s body heat. 

“Good morning,  _ ashayam _ ,” Jim heard the deep voice say gently in his ear. Kirk grinned and snuggled closer to the smooth, naked skin, enjoying his last few minutes in the soft blankets and even softer bed. 

“Good morning, my love,” Kirk murmured, his voice thick from sleep. 

“I would like to take you to the gardens to meditate,” the Vulcan said gently. 

“‘Lright ,” Jim slurred, and sighed contently, closing his eyes again and petting Spock’s chest hair sleepily. He could feel amusement through their bond and then a long slender hand took his. He opened his eyes again and saw Spock give his knuckles a tiny kiss before the dark eyes met his. 

“Let us get dressed,” the older man said, brushing a kiss against the strawberry locks before slipping out of the bed, the rays of sunlight hitting his naked body. The sight caused the younger man to stare in satisfaction from his warm, fabric habitat, his eyes lingering over the way the light accentuated the smoothness of the pale skin… the way the shadows bled into the velvet black of his husband’s hair. 

The human sighed again as he watched the older man go about his business, knowing it was only fair that eventually he’d have to leave his plush sanctuary and return to the world beyond whatever bed he and his incredibly sexy Vulcan shared...but for now he’d enjoy the view. 

“It will help strengthen our bond,” Spock coaxed. 

That got Jim’s attention. He hugged the covers and counted to three before flinging them off. 

  
  


***13***

 

“Focus,” Spock chastised playfully as Jim delivered another kiss to those sweet Vulcan lips. 

“I can’t help it, you keep closing your eyes,” the human giggled. 

“Because we are attempting to meditate,” his husband reminded him.

“You should have chosen a less romantic place, then,” Kirk sighed, batting his big hazel eyes the way that Spock loved. 

They had returned to the Gardens, and the older man had chosen a spot under a giant tree with soft yellow flowers powdered over the leaves and branches, the little river trickling happily nearby. Jim had brought a pack with a blanket, a thermos of tea, and some fruits he had never seen before that were being sold on a floating cart outside the Gardens’ entrance. 

They sat across from each other on the blanket now, their legs crossed and their hands linked together. 

“Try to concentrate,” Spock directed with a tiny smile. He found his husband’s restlessness illogically endearing. 

“This will help me with communication?” Jim asked, and the Vulcan could feel a tiny twinge of anxiety through their bond. 

“Indeed,” Spock confirmed. “You have made great progress, and I believe that you’ve excelled to the point that this exercise will be useful.”

Kirk couldn’t help but smile at the praise, trying to feel like he deserved it, knowing in his heart that Spock would never lie to him. 

“Vulcans cannot lie,” his stoic husband liked to say. 

But that in itself was a lie, Sarek and Spock himself had both proven that point….

But Spock  _ would  _  not lie...not to Jim. 

“Alright, let’s give it a shot,” Kirk said, trying to keep his heart from fluttering. Their skin contact wasn’t helping with that much...he loved touching Spock….

“Close your eyes,” the Vulcan instructed. 

Jim obeyed, and waited for Spock to tell him what to do next. 

He chuckled when he felt the taller man kiss his nose.

“Try to concentrate, Mr. Spock,” Kirk teased, grinning. 

The older man pecked his lips in response before sitting up straight, their hands still resting linked between them. Jim could feel his husband’s mind gently guiding his own, easily distracted mind into a state of calm...the sounds around them amplifying, running together into one sound that seemed to fall away. He could feel his heartbeat slow and his breathing becoming deeper. 

The only thing he was aware of was the presence in his mind...the feeling on his heart...the skin against his skin. Spock...his Spock...a part of him...bound to him….

_ Focus on where the bond meets… _

Spock’s gentle instruction urging him through their thoughts. 

_ Try to visualise it...the place where our two hearts meet...how does it feel to you? _

Jim focused, knowing that his husband was helping his concentration greatly through their shared contact. He tried to envision the meeting place...but he couldn’t see it so much as he could  _ feel  _ it….

_ What does it feel like? _ Spock coaxed. 

Kirk pushed a little harder, feeling the transition from his own mind into Spock’s. 

_ It’s like the attic at my family home in Riverside… _ he managed. 

That was where memories were stored...boxes and boxes of information….

The more Jim tried to visualise this, the more he felt that he was stumbling through his attic in the dark, grasping onto boxes...feeling the information in every box….

As he went further, he knew he was in Spock’s “attic.” The boxes were stacked neatly, and had no dust, from what Jim could feel. He touched a box and he could see himself behind his eyelids….

_ “It gives me emotional security….” _

The vision seemed to fade from behind his eyes, but Jim could  _ feel  _ his own heart fluttering, and knew that Spock was feeling shy...both now and then….He could no longer see the memory...but he could still  _ feel  _ it...feel the love and anxiety and longing….

_ Open your eyes, my adun… _ Spock’s voice said. 

Jim obeyed and blinked the sun out of his eyes, and immediately noticed what his husband had wanted to show him. 

They weren’t touching….

Kirk looked down at his empty hands, feeling his heart beating with excitement. 

“I was on your side of the bond,” Jim breathed, looking into Spock’s dark eyes which were filled with pride. “And we weren’t touching!”

“Correct,” the Vulcan replied, his eyes sparkling as he scooped the human’s hand up in his own to kiss it. “You are improving.”

“I couldn’t  _ communicate,  _ though,” Jim observed. “I only saw the memory for a second….”

“That was when I let go...which is why the memory faded, but you still made contact with the sentiments once our physical connection was removed.”

Kirk frowned. 

“How does that help?”

Jim could feel his lover’s amusement as the Vulcan rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand. 

“Over time, you will be able to assert your presence and communicate clear thoughts, as you do when we are touching.”

“So I’m walking into your mind and, what, yelling at you?”

A small smile pulled on Spock’s lips. 

“Essentially, that is correct,” he replied. 

“Is that what you do with me?”

“Something similar, though I no longer have to visualise your side of the bond, as every day the tunnel -if your will- between us gets smaller and smaller...there will come a time when our consciousness will...overlap.”

“That sounds uncomfortable,” the human pointed out, earning him a wave of amusement from the bond. 

“I assure you, it will be as natural as breathing. On many levels, you and I already experience it on a daily basis.”

Jim nodded. 

Spock was right, they already felt each other’s emotions...could already reach out to one another that way...experience each other’s discomfort or energy no matter where they were. 

“How will I practice when we’re apart?” Kirk asked. 

“Try to meditate, as we did today, and reach out for me...my  _ khaf-spol  _ will assist you, as yours assists mine, on an unconscious level.”

Jim grinned, and eyed his Vulcan. 

“Will I be able to see other memories like the one I saw today?” he teased. 

Spock’s back straightened and Kirk could feel how shy the taller man was. 

“It seemed like it was readily available,” Jim pried, feeling the rush of embarrassment through their bond. 

“I,” Spock began, reaching for the thermos of tea, “I found it confusing and looked upon it...often for...reevaluation.”

Jim giggled. 

“How did you not know I was flirting with you?”

The human’s heart jumped for joy when he saw the tips of Spock’s ears turn green as the older man poured them both a cup of tea. 

“I was unsure of your intentions,” the Vulcan replied. “I did not want to confuse friendly affection for...something else.”

Kirk nodded, smirking, as he took the cup of tea from his husband, making sure that his fingers overlapped Spock’s as he did so. 

“‘Something else’ as in romantic affection? ‘Marry me and be my Bondmate’ affection?”

The pointed ears turned a darker shade of green. 

“‘Rip my clothes off and take me on the Turbolift floor,’ affection?” Jim mumbled, and then pretended to be focused on his tea when the dark eyes shot up to his looking scandalized. 

Kirk looked at his  _ adun,  _ sipping his tea innocently. 

Something passed over the Vulcan’s beautiful eyes before he reached a slender hand to slip around the human’s wrist. 

Jim gulped as he saw a glimpse of himself, tied to the headboard, his eyes begging while he got fucked-

It was Kirk’s turn to look scandalized. 

“That’s hotter than the tea.”

 

***14***

 

They returned to the hotel room to change into their formal attire for the important night ahead. 

Changing took far longer than expected due to completely necessary groping and teasing. It didn’t help that Spock looked absolutely incredible in the formal Vulcan attire. It was a wonder they ever made it to the Singing Sello at all….

When they did, they stood a ways from the entrance, the air smelling like twilight and spices. Little glowing birds zipped past them, chasing each other like shooting stars.  

“How long before our meeting?” Spock asked, taking in his surroundings with fascination. 

“We have another half hour to make preparations,” Kirk responded. “Our assistant should be here any minute.”

The Vulcan couldn’t help but frown at the idea of their “assistant.” He trusted his Captain...his Bondmate, and knew that the plan was a solid one. If anything fell through, they would handle it. But that wasn’t what bothered Spock the most...this was his husband’s  _ career  _ on the line...what happened if Spock failed? Could his husband truly be happy as a civilian?

_ Could he still be happy with just  _ me?

“I can feel you worrying, Mr. Spock,” Jim said gently, smiling at him. 

He took the taller man’s hand and leaned against him, watching the crowd of people flowing in and out of the club. 

The loud music was bursting through the thin walls of the Singing Sello, barely noticed by passers by who smelled of perfume and alcohol. 

Not another minute had passed before a short, curvy Hrechite approached the two men, her glowing eyes a pale pink with hair to match. 

“You must be Mr. Spock,” she said, coming far too close for Kirk’s comfort. Her voice was soft with a sweet cadence that was no doubt tailored for her profession. 

“I have to admit, I was surprised when I was told I’d be meeting a Vulcan…” her glowing pink eyes swept over the older man with approval. “A little...  _ intimidated _ ...but definitely not disappointed.”

Jim didn’t dare look into the bond to see how his First Officer was reacting to her whiles. His little spout of jealousy was put to rest as he felt Spock’s discontent at her proximity permeate through their connection. 

“And you must be  Pomocník?” Jim intervened, stepping between the woman and his mate and crossing his arms. 

The woman seemed unphased by the interruption, and she smiled sweetly at him, her eyes gave him the same treatment as they had his husband. 

“And  _ you’re  _ James. You can just call me Nik...my full name is such a  _ mouthful _ ,”  she purred. “So...where do we start? You said we were doing something... _ different _ ?”

She grinned around the last word, looking intrigued. 

“That’s right,” Jim nodded. “Are you ready to get started?”

“Baby, I can’t  _ wait. _ ”

 

***15***

 

The music was ridiculously loud as they entered the club. They had sent Nik in first and had waited about 15 minutes before entering themselves. 

The two men carefully maneuvered around the small clusters of Hrechites, humans, Andorians, and other species, who were dancing and drinking.

Spock followed Jim, as he seemed to know where to go...he  _ was _ the Captain, after all, and that didn’t change with the scenery. 

Halfway through their destination, obscured by half naked, dancing bodies, the Vulcan realised that he had been staring at his human’s ass the entire time...his mind wandering to their hotel room where he intended to drag his beloved as soon as this errand was complete. 

Spock was amazed at how Kirk had been able to pull all of this off in less than three days. After so many years of working under him...of being his First Officer, best friend, lover, and husband, he wasn’t surprised, simply  _ impressed _ . The mind of his Bondmate was a powerful thing. Kirk glanced over his shoulder at Spock, a sly smile on his face. He stopped in a small space where there were no writhing bodies and turned to Spock, his hands coming to the tall man’s shoulders as he pressed his body against him. 

Gods Kirk looked so good tonight...so good in those clothes that had been specially tailored for that sweet figure. Jim’s eyes gleamed in the colorful lights that flashed around the club as the Vulcan placed his hands on the younger man’s hips, as though he was going to slow dance with him. 

Jim pulled closer so that his lips were right next to Spock’s ear. 

“Have you been staring at my ass this whole time?”

The Vulcan could feel himself blushing...not wanting to admit to such a lax in focus. 

“I find it very distracting, Captain.”

The look that the human gave him in return made Spock swallow hard. Kirk grinned and bumped their noses together. 

“Good...that’s why I wore this…” Jim said, his words brushing against his husband’s lips. “I thought you’d like it.”

“You were correct….”

Their lips met and Spock let his hands explore. 

For an unknown time, they were swept away in each other’s presence, the blasting music, and the crowd of people dancing around them, creating a sort of privacy in plain sight that neither of them were used to...and even though the club was impossibly packed, it was like they were the only two people there. 

Jim reflected that they hadn’t had a chance to be a couple outside of the  _ Enterprise _ …hadn’t even had a real honeymoon yet….

His heart glimmered at the prospect of it. 

Before the mission, his life had been about his career...leaving his romantic notions and poetry back at the Academy with his old books and failed relationships. During his years on starships, he wondered what kind of person he would become when he returned planetside…would he teach? Pursue Admiralty? 

Now he felt the strong arms around him, the hot breath against his lips, and was finally reminded at his own excitement for the future...because he  _ had  _ one now….

_ I love you…. _

Kirk melted at the words that slipped from his bondmate’s mind to his...more gentle than a whisper, but loud in his consciousness over the heavy beat of the music. Jim smiled at his beloved, the lights making his stoic Vulcan look more alien than ever….

_ God, he is beautiful…. _

Kirk slipped his hand on the back of Spock’s neck and pulled him in for another tender kiss. 

_ You are my future…  _ the human responded, sending the thought through their touch. 

Jim could feel a slight rumble in Spock’s chest and recognized it as his husband groaning. The Vulcan licked into his mouth, sucking and nipping at his lips, and Kirk could feel his body responding, his penis slowly plumping in his pants. 

The Vulcan pulled away reluctantly, leaning their foreheads together lovingly. 

_ You have a plan, my Only… _ he reminded the Captain through their touch.

Jim sighed against the sweet lips and focused on composing himself...mainly waiting for his raging hard on to die down. 

He pressed his forehead against Spock’s. 

“Are you sure you want to do this...we can always back out now….”

“Jim...there is no other way if we are to bring that criminal to justice.”

“We’ll be lying to Starfleet,” Kirk said, looking at his husband hard. 

“We can deliver ourselves to the proper authorities when we have Dr. Kabakai in our custody.”

After a few minutes of listening to the blaring music and taking in what his husband had said, he was ready to head over to the table where he knew Nik and his rather unwilling dinner guest would be waiting. 

 

***16***

 

They found them at the table that they had prearranged, and Kirk was not disappointed by what he saw when the privacy screen was disengaged. There sat Commodore Daniels with the lovely Nik sitting beside him on the booth, giggling into his ear and refilling his glass with a glowing blue liquid. 

Jim smiled internally…it looked as though he and Spock had arrived just in time. 

The Commodore’s toothy grin fell when his beady black eyes found the Captain and his First Officer, who were now taking their places on the other side of the table. Spock reactivated the privacy screen and Daniels scowled at them. 

“You’re late,” he said, taking a drink of whatever Nik had poured him. 

“You don’t look too inconvenienced,” Jim replied in his warm, smooth voice that made the Vulcan think of brandy. 

Nik tittered at that, feigning the ignorant, buzzed  _ fille de fête  _ all too well. 

The Commodore gave her a lazy smile with the inebriated glaze that Kirk had been hoping for. 

“If we were not mistaken, Commodore, we were under the impression that this conversation would be a private one,” Spock said, sliding his finger over Jim’s under the table. 

“If I was not mistaken, the two of you should have been here over a _ half hour ago _ !” Daniels retorted, pointing his drink at Spock accusingly before throwing his head back and finishing it.

“You’re thirsty tonight, Phillip!” Nik chuckled, swirling the mostly empty bottle in front of his face before pouring the final drops of the liquid into his glass. 

He grinned at her as he brought the drink to his lips, and she leaned in close, whispering something in his ear that made him choke on his drink and start sputtering. His face turned tomato red in the glow of their private space. 

She gave him a salacious smile and stood up. 

“I’m going to get us another!” she said cheerfully, leaving the three men behind without another glance. 

The Commodore stared longingly after her until Kirk cleared his throat abruptly to bring his attention back to the table. 

“So,” Daniels said, looking from one man to the other begrudgingly. “Did you bring what you said you would?”

“We did,” Jim said, holding up a bright orange computer disk for his superior officer to see. “Are you ready to give us some answers?”

“How do I know that’s really  _ it _ ?”

“You’ll just have to take my word for it,” Kirk said. 

“Wrong answer, Captain. I won’t waste any more of my time on this rubbish!” the Commodore shrilled.

“I can repeat your entire conversation in the conference room word for word, Commodore,” Spock said calmly. 

Daniels had been in the process of standing, but now he sat down. There was no fight in his eyes, no defiance, just dark wariness, and beneath it all, fear. Spock could smell if from where he sat...the anxiety was rolling off of this man in a way that the Vulcan had never experienced before. 

“You warned the Captain not to pursue his interest in Dr. Kabakai,” Spock continued. “And you were interrupted by Dr. McCoy and our two guests.”

The Commodore’s eyes got bigger now, and in the dim light, Kirk could see beads of sweat forming on the man’s brow.

“You don’t understand,” he said, his beady eyes darting from one man to the other. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with….”

Jim leaned forward, his eyes dark eyes softening in that welcoming, warm way that made Spock want to kiss him. 

“Then help us,” Kirk said softly. 

There was silence for a moment as Spock began to run through their alternatives, trying to figure out if there was any  _ other  _ way….

He wanted to pry the man for more information...wanted to question him, but waited patiently letting his husband play his hand. 

“I’m going to pursue him either way...and he’ll find out, one way or another, that you were involved. I have the recording...he’ll know that you warned me.”

Kirk kept his voice low...private, like they were sharing a secret. He leaned in a little closer, and the Vulcan watched in amusement as the Commodore mirrored his motion, captivated. 

“If you help us, it won’t matter either way. He’ll pay for his crimes. But if you don’t...we might fail. What will you tell him, Commodore? What will you say when he finds out?”

There was silence and then...

“Alright,” Daniels breathed. 

James T. Kirk adun t’Spock had always been an excellent poker player. 

“What do you want to know?”

“When did you meet him?” Jim asked gently. 

“I met him at the hospital...my son, Max...he is not well...he has a disease... _ Muudakh… _ .” the man paused, his eyes looking panicked as he looked down at his hands which were clinging to his empty cup. “It’s a disease that eats the mind….”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Kirk said, his heart aching with sympathy...remembering his nephew in sickbay...on his deathbed...and Spock-

The Vulcan rubbed his thumb gently over his beloved’s knuckles and Jim sighed deeply, clearing his thoughts. 

“How much of her brain has it affected?” Spock asked, his interest peaking, always the scientist. 

“You don’t understand...it doesn’t affect the  _ brain _ , it-it affects the  _ mind _ ...the  _ spirit  _ of a person...it attacks there first...and then it eats away at the body...the organs...the skin….”

Jim stared at the man, his body becoming cold as the effects were being described to him in horrific detail. 

“He promised me that he could save Max...he told me that he knew of a cure...but that I was going to have to help him get it.”

The Commodore looked at his hands thoughtfully and then looked up at the Captain, his eyes pleading. 

“He said that he would tell me what needed to be done when the time came...just do as he says and I could save my son...he’s all I have left....So I waited for my orders….”

“What did he tell you to do?” Kirk asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“I approved a mission to Ame...then I pulled some strings to get a certain convict out of custody...get his record wiped clean...and my last assignment was to make sure that the  _ Enterprise  _ never responded to the distress call sent out by the Ametians….” 

Daniels was already a pale man...but now he looked like a ghost, staring at Jim with wide, black eyes.

Kirk nodded, pressing his lips together. 

Commodore Daniels had failed Dr. Kabakai...what would be the consequences?

“Whose record did he ask you to clear?” Kirk asked.

“A Harry Mudd….”

Jim and Spock exchanged a look.

When would the man  _ ever  _ stop making problems for them?

“When we searched our records there was no information about a Dr. Kabakai,” Spock’s deep voice broke the silence. 

“He keeps his nose clean by having his  _ minions  _ work for him...one who is currently working on your ship, I might add.”

“You’re referring to Anita Bruke,” Jim clarified. 

“I’m referring to the one who interrupted our conversation, Captain, the one who may have heard everything that I said about Dr. Kabakai...the one who could get me and my son  _ killed- _ ” the Commodore’s voice was steadily rising as he spoke, his beady eyes bugging out as he stared intently at Kirk, imploring him to listen. 

Jim looked over at Spock who returned his glance with an eyebrow raised before looking back at the Commodore. 

“The woman who entered the conference room in the middle of our discussion?” Jim asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

_ You know of whom he speaks? _

_ Lieutenant Smith... _ Kirk replied silently. 

The Commodore nodded slowly. 

“Lieutenant Smith? You’re sure that she works for Kabakai?”

“I don’t know what name she goes by _ this time _ ...she doesn’t get around this much by being  _ honest _ , I’m sure...but yes, I am certain. I’ve only seen her once before, but she does have a rather distinct look.”

_ You could say that.... _ Jim thought to himself. 

_ Jim...Sienae Smith is due to be court martialed in three days.  _

_ I understand…. _

“If she was able to get by you -she  _ and  _ Anita Bruke- how do I know I’m safe working with you two?” 

The Commodore’s voice was a rapid hiss, his eyes looking shiftily all around him, as though afraid that the entire place had ears, even though the privacy shield provided sound proofing. “I shouldn’t even _ be here _ right now- right before the court martial- with everything going on- what the  _ hell  _ was I thinking?”

“That’s why we need your help, Commodore,” Kirk implored, his golden eyes bright and demanding. 

“What’s in it for me?” Daniels said, his black eyes glinting in the dim light of the privacy dome. 

“Well, for one, I won’t send this recording to the Admiral. And secondly, we can help your son.”

Jim’s voice became softer as he spoke and read the look of disbelief on the older man’s face. 

“We have successfully developed a serum from the Ametian flowers that is capable of healing even the most destructive of diseases,” Spock said, picking up where his husband left off. 

“Have you tried it on  _ this _ virus?” Daniels asked. 

“We have not, but I am confident that-”

“Then you don’t  _ know  _ do you? I’d be better off not helping you and letting Kabakai do as he wishes!”

“We can help you, Commodore. But you need to help us. We have your best interests in mind-”

“Seems like everyone has been saying that, but so far, I haven’t seen anything to pay off my investments. Meanwhile I’m being blackmailed and my son’s time is running  _ out _ .”

His voice cracked at the last word and a small glitter of tears were in his eyes. 

There was silence for a moment as the two other men let this sink in. 

“Sorry I’m late! It’s so crowded!” Nik said, scooching back into the booth with a fresh bottle of the strange liquor she had been feeding the Commodore before. 

The three men looked at her, having completely forgotten about her existence, but she seemed unperturbed.

“I forgot my credit chip...do you think I could borrow yours to pay the bartender?” Nik asked with a sweet smile. 

“This one’s on me,” Kirk said, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a clip of Hrechite currency and handing it to her before the Commodore could say anything. 

“Thanks,” she said with a glittering smile. “Take a drink before I pay, I wanna make sure it’s the good stuff. They really rip people off around here...especially tourists.”

Daniels smiled, her presence seeming to calm him a little as he took a drink. His eyes lit up with enjoyment and she grinned looking satisfied. 

“This one is different,” he said, pointing to his glass and smiling at her... then turning to smile at the two other men. 

“Yes it is,” she replied almost to herself before declaring cheerfully that she was going to get the bill paid.

Once she was gone and the privacy screen was up once more, Daniels turned to the two men. 

“What do I have to do?” he asked, his eyes clear. 

“We need you to drop the charges against me...you know I did what I had to do to save lives.”

The Commodore grimaced. 

“I know, Kirk. I wish I could help...I’m ashamed of what I’ve put you through. But even if I did drop the charges, it’s now a Starfleet matter, not a personal one.”

Jim smiled, working himself around a twinge of guilt. 

“We have a way around that.”

 

***17***

 

“My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts…” Spock murmured. 

They had relocated to the more private setting of their hotel room, passing Alek on the way, who looked both surprised and slightly disappointed, presumably at having not been invited himself. 

“Your will stands by my will. We are of one mind and one goal….”

Kirk had to tamp down the possessive voice in his mind which insisted that the Commodore was trespassing on his territory, whilst the Vulcan performed a shallow meld on the older man...but even as quickly as the thoughts rose, he could feel his lover soothing him. 

“One goal…” the Commodore slurred dreamily. 

Jim knew that this part was imperative. 

_ One goal…. _

A Vulcan could perform a certain form of mind control...but the host had to be corralled and guided into willing submission if they wanted to avoid long-term, negative effects on both parties. 

In this case all three parties, as the Vulcan in question was not just responsible for his own mind, but that of his Bondmate as well. 

“Commodore,” Spock said, his voice sounding distant in Jim’s ears. 

“Yes?” he whispered. 

“You were under a lot of pressure and found you were unable to rest…you told the Captain to give you the herbal soother….”

 

***18***

 

“I find this highly irregular and rather difficult to understand,” Judge Zakon said, her eyes piercing Commodore Daniels with a look of disbelief. 

“It is hard for me to explain, your honor, and I apologize greatly for any trouble I may have caused from this lapse of memory,” the man said nervously, his beady eyes darting from Kirk to Ms. Damu, who looked dismally resigned to her fate. “As you know, my son is not well, and the pressure of the job….”

The Judge let out of a sigh and looked over at Jim, who felt pinned to the spot, but tried to maintain a relaxed demeanor. “Why did you not mention that he  _ asked  _ for the drug?” she demanded, her irritation gathering by the minute. 

“The questioning was not specific, you honor. My client simply stated that he had administered the Commodore an herbal soother which was proven to assist in sleeping. The reason as to  _ why  _ was never specified,” Areel said immediately. 

He glanced over at Dr. Usui who had been questioned, but was unable to use the EPS because of her very rare Ametian genetics. She had confirmed Commodore Daniel’s new claim at Jim’s request, and he didn’t know how he would be able to thank her. 

“And you didn’t think to cross examine your own witness to _ clarify _ the matter because….?” the Judge prompted, raising her hands and lifting her eyebrows incredulously. 

“The herbs that the Captain used had not been cleared for members of Starfleet by the Federation. As of now, any selling or distribution of this herb could be considered a drug sale, and then my client would be facing dealing charges which are far more severe.”

“And you just... _ forgot _ that you asked the Captain for something to help you sleep,” the Judge said, looking at the Commodore as though she was already tired of this entire situation. 

“I think that the soother may have been more powerful than I had anticipated,” Commodore Daniels said with a nervous little chuckled. “I am just now regaining some of my memories from that day, and I felt compelled to be honest and drop the charges against the good Captain.”

Zakon looked at the Commodore’s hand resting on the glowing circle of the EPS. There was no lie. 

Kirk held still where he sat, as though moving would break some kind of spell. 

“Is there anything my fellow Judges would like to say before I make this decision?” Judge Zakon sighed, tapping her stylus on the PADD. 

“I think you should apologize to Captain Kirk for putting him through this ridiculous mess!” Admiral Daya said, glaring at the Commodore, who shrunk under her gaze. 

“I agree,” said Admiral Mills in a much softer tone. “The Captain has gone through a lot of trouble because of this whole business.”

Kirk felt a pang of guilt.

“Your honor, my client was under the influence of an alien substance, he can hardly be held accountable for his actions,” Arjana Damu said from where she sat, sounding unenthusiastic. “It’s enough that he’s told the embarrassing truth since he’s regained his memories.”

“Well  _ I  _ don’t think it’s enough,” Daya snapped. 

Damu sighed something that sounded like “okay,” and looked back down at her notes. 

Kirk felt for her. This was going to be her first loss.

“Would you like to put Captain Kirk back on the stand one more time, Ms. Damu?” Judge Zakon asked offhandedly, and Jim felt his stomach drop.  _ He  _ knew the truth. 

But the beautiful lawyer just shook her head and shrugged.  

“Well, in that case, Captain James T Kirk adun t’Spock, the charges against you have been dropped. You may now resume command of your vessel and the Commodore will issue you an official apology for any tarnish to your good name this case may have caused. Case dismissed.”

Areel grabbed Jim and hugged him tight. 

“I don’t know how all of this happened,” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. “But I’m happy that it’s over.”

She pulled away from him beaming. “Now,  _ I’m  _ going to celebrate!” She looked over at the tall, gorgeous lawyer who was shooting daggers at her client while gathering her belongings. “Hey, Damu! Let’s get a drink!” Shaw called to her.

A smile graced the younger woman’s lips. 

“Sure, let’s get the hell out of here,” she said, standing up and gliding over to the short blonde woman. 

Areel grinned at Jim. 

“You go ahead, I know a certain Vulcan who will be itching to see you...don’t wait up,” she said with a wink. 

  
  


***19***

 

The First Officer sat in the Command Chair and watched the little planet...as though he could be there with Jim during the trial. He had wanted to be with his beloved...wanted to be by his side, but Kirk had insisted that he stay to watch the computers...needed to watch and see if there was any news about Kabakai. 

Spock felt a wave of relief exhale through their bond like a breeze and he closed his eyes as he felt the tension exit his shoulders and back. 

All had gone according to plan. 

His husband would return to his rightful place in the Command Chair and all would be as it should be again. 

“Good news, Spock?” a voice drawled from behind him. 

The Vulcan opened his eyes and turned to Dr. McCoy, who always seemed to find himself in Spock’s presence whenever the Vulcan was at his most emotional. 

It was like the man had a radar that went off at these exact moments. 

Usually this would have annoyed the younger man significantly...but now he found that this didn’t bother him as much as it used to. Something had changed between them, and Spock felt nearly appalled to admit that the man now held a special place in his life. McCoy laughed at the frown on the dark haired man’s face. 

“The Captain will be returning to the Bridge,” Spock said in a voice that was intended to be impassive.

“That  _ is  _ good news,” the doctor said with a little grin. “Think it’s about time we get to setting things straight with-”

suddenly the older man gave out a huge sneeze right near the Vulcan’s delicate ear. 

Spock turned his head slowly and glared at the doctor, who had pulled a handkerchief out and was scratching his nose with it. 

“Dr. McCoy, I suggest you report to sickbay.”

“‘M fine, Spock, just got a bit of a cold I guess.”

“I am rescinding my original suggestion and replacing it with an order,” Spock said, taking a PADD from a Yeoman to look over it contents and frowned. 

“What is it?” McCoy asked, peering over the taller man’s shoulder. 

Spock said nothing at first, and then “Set up a private Conference room. I will join you with the Captain when he arrives.”

The doctor didn’t ask any questions, just nodded and walked to the Turbolift. 

“Mr. Sulu, you have the conn.”

 

***20***

 

Spock watched as the delectable figure of his bondmate materialised on the landing pad, his heart swelling in his side at the sight of those hazel eyes and charming smile. 

Jim stepped down and approached his tall husband, Dr. Usui and Admiral Daya stepping down behind him. 

“Welcome back, Captain,” Spock said. 

Jim was the only one who heard the warmth in his voice. 

“Thank you Mr. Spock, it’s good to be back,” Jim responded with equal warmth, holding up two fingers, which the taller man brushed with his own, their eyes meeting, and happiness spreading through their bond. 

The Captain was once more the master of his ship, and all was well in their world. 

 

“Admiral, if you’d accompany myself and the Captain to conference room 5,” Spock addressed the shorter woman who had been chatting with Dr. Usui amiably. 

“Of course, Mr. Spock,” she said, nodding to Dr. Usui who looked tired and relieved. Kirk’s heart went out to the little Ametian who had done so much for him, and wished that he didn’t have to return her to her planet. 

_ Would that we could keep her.  _

They filed out of the transporter room, Usui to her quarters, the other three, and Mr. Scott to the Conference room. 

It wasn’t until they were in the hall that Kirk realised that Spock had a PADD under his arm. Jim slipped his captaincy back on like he had never left. 

“What is it?”

Spock had been expecting his Captain to notice, and had already begun tapping through the information to show the shorter man as they walked to the Turbolift. 

Kirk scanned the information and his eyes shot up to meet Spock’s. 

“Have we investigated yet?”

“Negative, Captain, this information has just become available to me.”

Jim glanced over his husband, his eyes lingering a little which made Spock want to tell his  _ adun  _ to concentrate, but also throw him over his shoulder and drag him to their quarters. 

He settled on raising an eyebrow and giving him a chastising look, which invoked one of Kirk’s more flirtatious smiles. 

“I will need to gather a few supplies from the lab before I meet you and the rest in the conference room.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Jim replied, his golden eyes shining suggestively as he handed the PADD back to his First Officer, his fingers bushing along the Vulcan’s during the exchange. 

He felt amusement through their bond as Spock pulled away and Kirk entered the Turbolift.

 

***21***

 

When Jim arrived, McCoy, Dalisay, and Scotty were already in the conference room, both the CMO and Daya listening to something the Chief Engineer was saying with rapt attention. 

When the doors slipped open, the Scotsman stopped his story and turned to the door. 

“Welcome back, Cap’n!” Scotty said, slapping him on the back, a smile splitting his face. 

“Thank you Mr. Scott.”

McCoy sneezed, a handkerchief covering his face. 

“Are you sick, Bones?”

“I fink I’mb combing downn wid sumfing,” the Doctor responded, his voice, which already had that Southern gravel to it, now sounded like he had aged 30 years. 

“Can’t you take something?” Kirk inquired. “ _ You’re _ the doctor.”

“Heh.”

That sounded like a novice playing a clarinet.

“I’mb a doctor nod a miracle worker. Dere’s still no damn cure for de commond cold.”

Kirk frowned and was about to suggest that his friend go get some rest, when they heard the doors squeak open and his tall husband came strolling in with a science kit around his shoulder, his tricorder in hand. He was so involved with what he was doing, he didn’t seem to notice anyone else there. 

“Initiate locks, First Officer override,” Spock commanded, his eyes on the tricorder. He fidgeted with the device for a moment while everyone else watched in silence. 

Finally he looked up at the others and nodded. 

“I have initiated the scrambler. We may speak freely.”

“Scotty, tell us what you found,” Kirk said immediately.

The Engineer nodded. 

“Aye. I was doin’ a full sweep of the Transporter when the three of ye went missin’ on Noroi Omega. I thought that per’aps there was somethin’ wrong with it before we found out why ye really landed on dat planet. I foond an anomale but it was small and looked to be some sort o’ minor malfunction, so I ignored it...decided to worry on it when we had ye back.”

“But then you scanned it when we returned.”

“Aye. I wernt ‘bout to let somethin’ happen to the Enterprise,” Scotty shot back, looking offended. “When I did a closer scan, I found somethin’ much more complex. Someone has installed somethin’ in the transporter. There’s a wee hole where the device was pushed into the landin’ pad. I’m thinkin’ this might be what connected the transporter to the device you found on Noroi Omega.”

“Why the cloak and daggers then?” Dalisay asked, sounding frustrated with the progress of this discussion. 

“I investigated further and whatever’s in there has grown,” Scotty said, sounding nervous. 

Spock raised an eyebrow.

“Explain.”

Scotty looked as though he was drawing on some back reserve of patience. 

“When I first scanned it, it were six inches in diameter. Now it’s doubled.”

There was silence in the room, no one really understanding. 

“Oh bloody Hell, it’s grown into our computer systems! It’s beyond the transporter an’ has gone into communications! Whoever planted that thing migh’ be able to hear e’rything we're saying!”

“How does a machine  _ grow _ ?”

 

***22***

 

They gathered around the hole in the landing pad where Scotty had removed the panel for their viewing.

McCoy frowned hard at it and leaned closer. The device looked like a tiny bead out of which had sprouted silk vines that had connected to the original wiring in the transporter...tiny little lights traveling through the thin webs. 

“It’s gotten bigger, Cap’n,” Scotty said, his eyes wide. 

Jim turned to his husband. 

“Have any of you ever seen anything like this before?”

“Looks like the wiring in that girl...Anita Bruke,” McCoy responded, his voice tired. 

Kirk looked over at his friend as Spock automatically started running his tricorder over the affected area. 

“It shows the same readings as well,” he stated, holding his results up so Kirk could see them. 

“Let me see that,” Kirk said to Scotty, pointing at the panel.

The older man passed it over to him wordlessly and the Captain stared at it. 

There was a tiny hole.  

“Someone must have punctured the wall to allow the device into our systems,” Spock said, running his delicate fingers over the opening.  “And then it began... _ growing _ from there...this kind of technology is...unheard of.”

Jim stared at the piece thoughtfully before addressing his companions once more. 

“Mr. Spock, check the computers to see if we can find out who is responsible for installing this device. Scotty, do you think that we’ll be able to make it to Ame to get Dr. Usui to her home planet?”

“Hasn’t affected our trips so far,” the engineer shrugged. 

“Good. Both of you try to disable it and get it out of our machines.”

“Aye, sir,” said both men as Kirk stood and headed for the doors. 

Jim could feel a slight stroke of pride and arousal come from his Vulcan through their bond. 

_ He loves watching me take control…. _

“Bones, come with me,” he said, trying to keep the smug smile from his face. 

The older man nodded and obeyed. 

Before the doors to the Transporter room shut behind them, the Captain made eye contact with his husband, who was staring at him like he wanted to eat him, and gave him a little wink. 

“We’re paying a visit to Lieutenant Smith,” Jim said to McCoy as they strode down the corridor.

“She’s in quarantine, Jim. I can’t let y- Aaaachooooo!!” 

Bones sneezed so loud that a Yeoman who had been passing them flinched away, wide eyed. 

Kirk made a mental note to lower the noise on the Red Alert klaxon...he didn’t need any of the jumpier members of his crew having a heart attack on him. 

“Sounds like you should be in there with her,” the younger man quipped as he entered the turbolift. 

“Just the common cold,” the Doctor muttered irritably. “Unless you plan on taking care of  _ me  _ for a change, you’d do well to mind your own business.”

The words were so sharp coming out of his best friend that Jim looked at him, agast. 

Bones looked just as surprised as the younger man felt at his own terse reaction.  

“I apologize, Jim,” the doctor said, looking confused. “This sickness might be making me more irritable than I thought.”

Kirk softened at the apology. His best friend had taken worse insults from  _ him  _ when he had decided to be more stubborn than logical in the past. 

“It’s alright. Maybe you should hand over to M’Benga.”

Bones nodded and crossed his arms over himself. 

“I’m gettin’ the chills. Send someone to attend me?”

Kirk raised both of his eyebrows at the request, but figured the older man must have been feeling worse than he let on, and nodded. 

“Thank you, Jim.”

“Get some rest, Bones. I’ll have Nurse Chapel help me with this for now.”

They stepped off of the ‘Lift and walked to sickbay, McCoy laying on one of the beds, much to the surprise of his assistants who approached him uncertainly, while Kirk walked down the hall a to the Medical Brig. He pressed the button that let him in, and he approached the only occupied cell. 

 

M’Benga was checking her vitals on the PADD, and looked up when Kirk entered.  

“Good evening, Captain, and congratulations,” he said amiably. 

Jim smiled. “Thank you doctor. How is she?” 

The other man glanced in the direction of the young Romulan, who had wrapped herself into a ball on her bio bed, shivering. 

“She’s burning up... got some kind of fever. I just gave her something to bring it down, and it’s already working. Whatever she has, she’s getting better...but I’ll be more comfortable if we kept her in there for a little while longer.”

Kirk nodded and thought of Bones. 

“Doctor Sapri has tried several times to come talk to her, but visitors are just not allowed right now…” the doctor said a little sadly. “Depending on whether or not she is convicted, I don’t know if her friend will ever be able to see her.”

“We’ll have to see,” Kirk said thoughtfully, watching the girl shaking in her bed. It was hard to believe that this young woman, who looked so vulnerable in her medical garb, burning with sickness, would have been capable of trying to drug his lover with the intention of…

_ What exactly? _

Kirk didn’t want to think about it...all that he knew was that this woman was more dangerous than she appeared, sick or not. 

“When do you think I can talk to her?” Jim asked M’Benga. 

“I’ll inform you the moment that she’s stable and speaking.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

The Captain took one last look at Lieutenant Smith and then left the room. 

 

When he stepped back into the hallway and was hit by a rush of dizziness. 

He put his hand on his head and tried to blink the feeling away.  

“Jim!”

Kirk looked up to see Bones, who grinned at him, his eyes bright, an undeniable skip in his step. 

“Bones, I thought I told you were taking a rest…” Jim said, confused. 

“Incredible, isn’t it? The superior technology?” McCoy responded, gesturing to himself as though he was an example. 

“What? What technology?” the younger man asked, his head feeling like it was filled with sand, the words so heavy in his mouth, he was surprised they even came out at all. 

_ What’s wrong with me? _

“Amazing how all of that information was stored on that ship for thousands of years….They had a cure for my  xenopolycythemia! Imagine what else they have!”

“What did Natira say about sharing that information?”

The words came out of Kirk’s mouth before he even had a chance to think...it was like someone else had control of his body. 

“She’s happy to cooperate once they’ve landed,” Bones said with a shy smile. 

“Bones,” Kirk barely managed to say, panic rising in his stomach. 

He could feel Spock on the other side of the bond suddenly become alert to his dilemma. 

“Captain?”

Jim whirled around to see Dr. M’Benga step out of the MedBrig, looking confused. 

“Who are you talking to?”

Kirk looked back to where his best friend had been standing just to find an empty hallway. He felt his jaw clench and the panic rose in his mind. 

He needed to get back to his quarters  _ now.  _

 

***23***

 

_ Are you alright, adun? _

He heard Spock’s voice in his head as he made Jim way to the ‘Lift. Perhaps he just needed some rest...all of the stress of the Court Martial….

Kirk wasn’t due for duty until the next day, so he wouldn’t be missed.  

Jim felt hot and exhausted, but when he stepped into the Turbolift with the intention of heading to his quarters, he was surprised that he gave into the urge to visit the galley first.

When he finally  _ did _ arrive to their quarters, it was with a stash of fruits, cookies, bread, and other pre made snacks. Jim frowned at the bounty of edibles...he hadn’t felt the urge to stash food since he had finished his therapy at 20 years old.

_ This is different…  _ He reflected as he paced around their living space, putting the food out in the open for easy access. Back when he was younger, he had felt the need to hide large heaps of non perishable food in different parts of whatever accomodations he was occupying...ever since Tarsus IV, he had felt a desperate sense of anxiety if he didn’t feel well prepared for a possible emergency. 

But there was no anxiety in his actions now...no sense of urgency….

He didn’t hide his food like he did when he was a teenager.

Jim was too tired to analyze his own strange behavior any further, and once he was done arranging the food, he dallied with the heat. It was too cold for his liking….

He moved on to the bed, ready to take some much needed rest, flopping onto it with a sigh...and then sitting back up again, irritated. 

Had the bed always been this hard?

Kirk was in the middle of adjusting the bed softness when he heard the doors open and his tall, gorgeous husband walked in, looking around with an eyebrow raised. 

Jim frowned, not knowing how to explain it all. But then he felt... _ approval.  _

“This is a much more comfortable temperature,  _ t’hy’la _ ,” Spock commented. 

Kirk sighed and smiled. 

“I was a bit worried it might be too hot….”

“And you have stocked our food supply,” the Vulcan said, glancing over at the food but approaching his husband, placing his hands on his upper arms and placing a small kiss on his lips. “It is perfect,  _ ashayam _ .”

Jim melted into the strong arms, feeling safe despite the strangeness he felt. 

“What happened, Jim?” Spock asked gently. “I felt your discomfort.”

Kirk shook his head against the strong chest, burying his face in the science blue. 

“I just think I need some rest…” he said, trying to convince himself more than he was his husband.

The Vulcan pulled away, looking the shorter man in the eyes, his own looking patiently expectant.  

“I’m starting to hallucinate...I think I might be going crazy,” Jim choked on the last word. Spock frowned at him. 

“Perhaps Dr. McCoy should evaluate you,” the Vulcan said. “You may be experiencing some fatigue.” 

“He’s ill...or maybe he’s not, I don’t know…” Kirk said, starting to panic at his own confusion. 

The taller man pulled his lover against him, his fingers stroking his hair. 

“I do not detect any illness in our bond, Jim,” Spock soothed. “You must be fatigued. Take this day to rest,  _ adun. _ ” 

Kirk felt himself sinking into his bondmate, feeling the anxiety slowly subside at his presence. 

“What if it doesn’t get better?” the human whispered so softly, if Spock hadn’t been Vulcan, he wouldn’t have heard it. 

“Then we shall find a solution, as we do with everything else.” 

The taller man guided his husband to the bed. 

“Do we have more pillows anywhere?” Jim asked.

“Indeed.”

When Spock left to get the pillows, Kirk had been rubbing the fabric of the sheets between his fingers...testing the softness. When he returned, his  _ telsu  _ was fast asleep. 

The Vulcan stroked his fingers through the soft hair of the sleeping human, taking in the sight lovingly. He knelt and placed his fingers along Jim’s meld points and searched his mind. 

Satisfied that his lover was comfortable and, more importantly, healthy, he left to complete his shift after placing a kiss on his head. 

***24***

 

The next morning, Kirk felt right as rain; he even went so far as to wake up a little earlier to check on his best friend in Sickbay, who seemed to be running his own staff ragged with all of his demands….

“They always say that doctors make the worst patients,” Nurse Chapel had grumbled to him. Jim had chuckled at that before leaving for his first shift as Captain in a month. 

Kirk had received a warm welcome from his Bridge crew, feeling a twinge of guilt as Uhura pulled him into a hug….

Would they still admire him once he’d found Kabakai and confessed to his lies?

He thought of when Spock had commandeered the ship to save Christopher Pike and wondered if this was how  _ he  _ had felt when he had gone against Starfleet and his own moral code. 

_ I have to catch him...and I need autonomy to do it.  _

 

The next couple of days went as planned. Routine deliveries and pick ups were made on their way to Ame. Dalisay was dropped off on Altentia for a conference, and while Dr. Sapri usually accompanied her, the younger woman requested to stay onboard until they retrieved the Admiral so as to be near Lieutenant Smith, who had not yet recovered enough to answer their questions or receive any visitors. 

The senior staff handled the Romulan’s situation carefully, knowing that Kirk needed answers from her...answers about Kabakai. If they Court Martialed her before they’d had a chance to interrogate her, there would be no chance to continue their investigation...with all of the connections Kabakai seemed to have, Jim couldn’t risk anyone but his closest companions knowing about his intentions. 

It was a miracle that Lieutenant Smith was in quarantine, as she wouldn’t be allowed off of the ship until her illness was identified...and as far as he knew, her condition was improving...she would be able to talk soon. 

Things seemed to be looking up….

Jim should have known that nothing remains this smooth on the Enterprise. 

 

***25***

 

“M’Benga to Captain Kirk,” the clear voice said over the ‘com.

Jim had been arranging the quickest route to Ame while still accomplishing their duties (which was purposely small time, he noticed with annoyance). 

“Kirk here.”

“Please report to sickbay. We have a bit of an emergency….”

“On my way,” Jim said, exchanging a look with Uhura. 

He walked onto the turbolift and focused on the bond. Spock seemed fine...definitely doing something science related. 

 

When the turbolift door opened to his level, Jim stepped out but went no further. McCoy was on the floor with two security officers on top of him, keeping him down. 

“Get off me you bastards!! How  _ dare _ you!” 

Bones was red faced and screaming at the top of his lungs. 

M’Benga came running out with a hypo in hand, knelt, and pressed it to the screaming man’s neck who fell silent. Nurse Chapel stood behind him with her hand over her mouth, her crystal eyes wide with surprise. 

“What’s going on here?” Kirk asked, darting towards his unconscious friend on the floor. 

M’Benga held up his hand in warning and that’s when Jim realised that he was wearing gloves...as were the Redshirts who were now pushing themselves off the floor and away from McCoy. 

“He seems to be infected with the same sickness as Lieutenant Smith,” M’Benga responded, holding out his medical scanner over McCoy. 

“How is that possible? I thought she had been quarantined the moment the Doctor found out that she was ill,” Kirk asked, wanting so badly to attend his best friend, but knowing it was probably a very bad idea. 

“We don’t know how this is transmitted yet. Dr. McCoy may have contracted it before he knew that she was sick,” M’Benga said, nodding to the two Redshirts. 

They carefully lifted the limp form of their CMO and took him away towards the Medical Brig. 

Kirk approached the other Doctor. 

“What happened? Why was he acting like that?”

The other man shook his head. 

“We sent him to his own quarters because he complained that he didn’t like the lack of privacy...but then he kept calling for things...treating the medical staff like waiters. I suggested that he return to Sickbay. I really shouldn't have...he’s been here making ridiculous demands, insisting that he’s just ‘getting what he’s owed.’”

Kirk stared at the other man intensely. He had never known his friend to act like that in all of their time together. Fear set into his mind suddenly when he realised that the only person, besides his husband, he would have wanted to consult with about this was the one who was being affected. 

“Do you have any idea what it is? Is it causing any brain damage?” Jim asked, his heart beginning to speed up. 

Bones was his best friend. What if he  _ never _ got back to normal-

Kirk felt a sudden rush of worry and comfort from the bond. He calmed himself a little inside knowing that Spock was on his way. 

“We don’t know yet,” Dr. M’Benga said patiently. “We’re going to keep him in quarantine and see how it goes.”

Jim heard the ‘lift doors open and he knew that Spock had arrived. He turned to his bondmate who was looking at him with that dark intensity of his.

M’Benga didn’t seem surprised at his arrival, but dismissed himself to attend to his patient. 

“Bones is in Med Brig,” Kirk answered the unspoken question. “He’s being quarantined...he seems to have been acting...irrationally...he may even have what Smith has….”

While Jim supplied the weak report, his mind was on his sedated friend. 

Spock placed a comforting hand on the shorter man’s upper arm and, realising that they had no audience, gently slid it up along Jim’s neck until his palm cradled the beautiful face. 

“M’Benga is an excellent doctor,  _ t’hy’la _ ,” Spock murmured, sending as much reassurance as he could through their bond. “If Doctor McCoy does indeed have what Lieutenant Smith has, he should be well soon.”

“Is Smith talking?” Kirk asked, placing his hands on the taller man’s chest and trying to keep his thoughts productive. It was amazing how much Spock’s presence seemed to soothe him. 

“She is still unconscious, but her fever has broken, and she is reported to have improved significantly.”

Jim nodded and that was when he noticed that his husband was wearing his science bag.

“What’s with the geddup?”

Spock didn’t have to ask what he meant, their ability to communicate through touch now having transcended the casual words and phrases that may have been confusing to the Vulcan before.

Spock carefully extracted a vile from the kit. Inside there was a thick white substance that looked like-

“Lotion?” Jim asked aloud, reaching for the container. 

He took the glass between his fingers, turning it so he could observe it. 

“We have discovered what was on Ms. Smith’s hands when she tried to come into contact with me,” Spock said, tapping the vile with one long, slender finger. 

Kirk felt his jaw clench at the thought. 

“A drug?”

“It’s the tears of an Elasian woman,” the Vulcan responded. 

Jim looked up at his husband, his brow furrowed. “Tears?”

“Indeed...legend has it that they have the power to enslave any man who comes into contact with it.”

He pointed to the vile again. 

“Smith had a bottle of lotion in her quarters that has been infused with the tears, along with other fragrances.”

“Do you think someone gave her this to influence  _ her _ ?”

“We are of the opinion that the one who wears the lotion is the one that does the influencing.”

Kirk frowned. So the little bitch  _ had _ been trying to manipulate Spock...but to what end? What had Dr. Kabakai asked her to do? Why Spock?

“I wish to speak with her as soon as she is able,” he murmured, looking at the cream again, feeling the agitation boiling up inside of him.

It seemed at every turn there were more questions, and he still had no answers. 

The soft chirp of the communicator interrupted his thought, and he looked back to Spock who flipped it open. 

“Spock here.”

“Mr. Spock, it’s Dr. Noel. We’ve been scanning the rest of the ship for any other signs of that cream, but we’ve found nothing sir.”

“Acknowledged.”

He flipped the communicator shut, his eyes focused on his beloved. 

“It seems that she was acting alone.”

Kirk nodded. 

A small headache was forming behind his eyes, and he found that he couldn’t concentrate. 

“I shall return to the labs and I will report with whatever I find,” Spock said, his voice gentle as he held up two fingers. Jim met them and sighed a little inside from the comfort.

_ Will you be well? _

_ Yes.  _

Kirk smiled reassuringly at his bondmate before they turned and parted ways to finish out their shifts. 

 

***26***

 

Jim wasn’t surprised that Spock was still in the labs when he returned to their quarters to find them empty. The Vulcan still had a lot of make-up work to do, and he seemed ever more determined now to crack the code behind the tiny Ametian flowers. 

_ Good, perhaps he can use them to make Bones well.  _ Jim thought groggily. 

If he hadn’t been feeling so run down by the end of his shift, Kirk would have stayed up to do some work. As things were, he was too exhausted to do anything of the sort...though he did manage to find the energy to stop by the galley again to load up on more snacks to store around their quarters. 

After fluffing the pillows again...and adding a few more to their bed, he headed to the shower...hopefully the hot water would do something to relieve his headache...and the dizziness….

The doors opened.

 

And there Bones stood, his medical bag at the ready as he shuffled around his office. 

“Bones,” Jim said, amused. “The Enterprise won’t be leaving for another day. Whatever you think you’re missing you can always come back for. If not, Spock, Sulu or I could always bring it to you when we return.”

Bones smiled at him a little sheepishly. 

“I know...I-” he shrugged and chuckled a little, “I’m a little nervous. It’s been over a year, Jim. A lot of things happen in a year….”

“Bones, it’s been a year and a  _ month.  _ And you’re not wrong, a lot of things do happen in a year...but it also takes about that much time to get thousands of people to understand that they’re not on a planet but a craft built to take them to their promised land.”

“That would take time…” McCoy responded, his face still worried. 

“Not to mention the planning and preparations for landing, reading through that huge white book on how to control the vessel.”

The older man seemed to be more and more reassured, but his clear blue eyes still had a glint of doubt in them. 

“What if...she’s taken a new husband?”

Jim grinned at that. 

“She’s been on that same vessel with the same people her  _ entire life _ , Bones. It’s not like she’s met anyone  _ new _ .”

McCoy crossed his arms and let out an amused huff. 

Jim had never seen him this giddy before...not since that salt sucker on that planet that looked like his old crush. 

“You don’t mind relieving me from our five year mission a couple of months early?” 

Kirk smiled. “M’Benga can hold down the fort for a little while.”

He heard the doors open behind him and the lights seemed to dim a little as he saw his tall, stunning husband walk into the room. 

The taller man looked around frowning, then looked behind Jim. 

 

“Jim, who are you talking to?”

Kirk turned around and realised that he was still in the bathroom...and he had been talking to the shower. 

“It happened again,” he said, looking around. “It keeps happening….”

He suddenly felt dizzy and strong hands immediately came to steady him. Jim was guided gently to their bedchamber, and felt better as soon as he laid down, but the headache remained. The human could feel unrelenting worry flowing from his bondmate. 

“What do you see in these hallucinations?” the older man asked. Somehow, Jim knew that he wasn’t as interested in the events of Jim’s overactive imagination as he was in keeping his bondmate conscious and talking. 

The younger man groaned as the memories came through his head.  _ Bones on the Bridge, looking wide eyed at a lush emerald planet.  _

_ Yonada…. _

_ A beautiful woman in gold and green kneeling before a Jade slab, a golden sun watching her like an eye.  _

“Jim,” he could hear faintly. 

Kirk felt fingers on his meld points and felt the pressure in his head release, like Spock had turned a valve and was draining the pain away. 

His mind felt soothed and his thoughts slowed down, the visions drifting to the back of his consciousness. He blinked a few times and saw a very concentrated Spock staring down at him. 

But Jim didn’t feel the worry anymore...didn’t feel the fear, and he smiled, knowing what he was going to hear before it actually left those kissable lips. 

“Fascinating.”

 

***27***

 

Jim let out a sigh of contentment as the long fingers rinsed the soap out of his hair and the hot water beat down on him from all angles. 

“As far as we know, all of the other individuals who have ever tried the Denbora fruit have died before their experience could be evaluated.” Spock was speaking quickly as he often did when he was excited about something. “This is a unique opportunity for many different aspects of science.”

The human leaned back into the hairy chest behind him, and the taller man ran his hands down Jim’s smooth body, rinsing away more soap. 

“This allows us to make significant strides in more accurately observing  _ time _ . Not to mention the physical effects of the fruit on a human mind-”

“We’re not doing brain scans,” Kirk cut in, his eyes still closed with relaxation as the water cascaded down his form. 

The soothing ministrations ended abruptly at his words and he sighed again, this time with weariness. Jim turned to face his husband who looked affronted. 

“ _ Adun _ , the effect of the Denbora fruit on your mind is imperative for our science logs.”

Kirk frowned. “I just don’t like having someone-” he put his fingertips against his temples as though demonstrating, “- _ messing around _ in there.”

Spock raised an eyebrow and Jim realised how ridiculous it sounded, coming from a human who had willingly entered into a telepathic bond for life with someone who could literally read his mind whenever they were touching. 

“It’s different when it’s you,” Kirk pouted defensively. 

“In that case, I will conduct the scans myself,” Spock retorted, his eyebrow rising to join its brother in a look of incredulity.

“Alright,” Jim relented, taking the bottle of soap from behind Spock and squeezing some into his hand so he could begin lathering the taller man’s chest. “Just don’t get too carried away.”

He scrubbed down the naked chest and took a nipple between his fingers, giving it a tiny pinch and looking into the older man’s face, mustering an innocent look. 

Spock’s eyes bore into his and he nipped Jim’s lip playfully, making Kirk release a downright embarrassing giggle. 

“A wise man would heed his own advice,” the Vulcan growled. 

“Do I look like a wise man?”

“What would a wise man look like?”

“You tell me, Science Officer-”

There was a yelp and then a chuckle that echoed off the bathroom walls. 

 

***28***

 

Jim was smiling when he walked through the Lab doors, but the smile immediately dropped when his eyes fell upon the item in the middle of the room. Spock knew he wouldn’t receive this particular piece of machinery positively. 

“Am I getting a  _ perm _ , Mr. Spock?” Kirk quipped, crossing his arms and looking at the device. 

It was a chair with a dome positioned over the top where the Captain was certain his head was supposed to go. 

“We need to do an initial scan in your natural state, and create a map of your brain for the CEM,” Spock replied, ignoring his husband’s obvious displeasure. 

“I told you not to get too carried away,” Jim grumped as he slid into the chair reluctantly. 

“I do not recall agreeing to such terms,” Spock replied.

Nurse Chapel seemed to hide a smile behind her PADD as she walked over to the scanner to fiddle with some wiring. 

Jim’s eyes skimmed the room, trying to quell his nervousness...trying to keep his mind from venturing back to Adams’s Neural Neutralizer….

“Spread a little thin here, Mr. Spock?” he observed. 

“Indeed. A significant number of the science team has fallen ill.”

“Any relation to what McCoy might have?”

The Captain directed this question to Nurse Chapel who shook her head.

“We don’t know yet. We’re keeping the sick in a separate part of Sickbay just in case, but to be honest, we’re at a complete loss.”

“Any common symptoms?”

“Fever. Same as McCoy and Smith...and erratic behavior….”

Kirk nodded, remembering his friend being dragged away by Redshirts.

“Dr. Usui has contacted the High Priestess of Ame,” Jim told them both. “We have permission to collect more flower samples...however many we need, the good Doctor said.”  

“ _ That’s _ good news,” Christine said from somewhere Jim couldn’t see. 

“Very beneficial to our studies,” Spock agreed. 

“The USS  _ Ritual  _ was able to spare two crewmen...Hrechites, funny enough. I’m starting my first shift with them today,” Kirk continued, trying not to feel claustrophobic. 

“That will be a great help.”

A tiny bell sounded next to Jim’s ear that made him flinch with surprise. 

“The scan is completed, Captain,” Spock said, clearly satisfied as his eyes ran .over the results on the PADD. 

Jim gave him a little glare with no real heat in it and the rose in the chair, grateful to be free from that  _ thing _ looming over his head. 

“We’re only two days away from Ame,” Jim continued. “Will your science team be ready to collect the flower samples?”

“The collection of the specimen will not be so labor intensive as the tests that we need to run. They will have ample time to recover before they’re needed. Currently, most of my lab assistants are using the computers to find out who planted the device in our landing pad.”

Spock took something from the table beside him.

“I am now going to install the CEM to record your brain activity,” Spock said, positioning himself so close to the younger man, he could feel his heat. 

“I like playing doctor with you,” Jim whispered, his eyes glittering. 

Nurse Chapel cleared her throat, and amusement spread through their bond. 

Spock glanced up at the woman, who was busying herself on the computer, and then caressed the hair out of Jim’s face, clearing the spaces where he carefully placed tiny, sticky dots. 

“Try not to tamper with them,” the Vulcan said, letting his fingers linger wherever he touched his mate. “They should not bother you, and no one else should notice them.”

He put the final sticker on the nape of Jim’s neck, his eyes smiling into his husband’s hazel ones. 

“Tell me if they get uncomfortable,” he said, glancing up to check on Nurse Chapel, and then placing a swift, soft kiss on Kirk’s lips before moving away to look at his PADD. 

“Are you looking at my brain right now?” Jim asked, craning his neck a little as though he could see it too. 

Spock smiled imperceptibly. 

“I am always looking at your brain.”

  
  


***29***

 

The hallways were nearly empty as Jim headed for the Bridge, which gave him a feeling of...unease. 

The feeling didn’t get any better when he stepped onto the Bridge to find the crew to be completely different from the one he had prepared on the roster. 

Riley and Chekov were at the helm, Uhura at Communications, and Siliana at the science station. He had to do a double take when he  looked over at the Engineering station where two, hulking Hrechite men had somehow situated themselves into the tiny chairs. 

Kirk was infinitely grateful at their presence

He tried not to think of how uncomfortable their stations on the  _ Enterprise  _ were in comparison to the USS  _ Ritual,  _ which, no doubt, had chairs custom designed for their long term use. 

Jim remembered that the two men were Lieutenant Plava Sluga, and the other was his brother, Ensign Zlato Sluga. Zlato wore a red shirt that contrasted with his bluish skin. He had what looked like bull horns that protruded from the front of his head, and his hair was a deep purple, matching glowing, purple eyes. 

Plava was slightly slimmer than his brother, his own horns were smaller, resembling goat horns. He wore a science blue uniform, and had bright orange skin, gold hair, and glowing, dark blue eyes. 

Kirk couldn’t help but be grateful for their presence...he couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable the small design of the  _ Enterprise  _ must have been in comparison to the USS  _ Ritual  _ which had modified their design for Hrechites’ long term use. 

Jim approached Sulu, who had already risen from the Chair. 

“Where is everyone?” the Captain asked, eyeing the Bridge crew. “Siliana, Uhura, and yourself were supposed to have been relieved already...where’s Mr. Scott?”

“He had urgent business in the Transporter room, sir,” Sulu responded, sounding tired, but maintaining his professionalism. “As for the others...they’re in Sickbay….”

“Are you telling me there’s  _ no one  _ who could have stepped in for any of you?”

The Helmsman shook his head, looking grim. 

Kirk sighed. 

“Which one of you has been here the longest?” Jim asked, nodding in the direction of Uhura and Siliana. 

“Siliana sir,” Sulu responded. 

“Alright, I’ll take it from here,” the Captain said, giving the Helmsman a little pat on the shoulder. “Chekov, move to the scanner, Riley, you navigate, Sulu take the Helm. Lieutenant Siliana, you’re relieved.”

“Thank you, sir,” Siliana said, before stepping out. 

Jim sat in the Chair and addressed Sulu. 

“Report.”

Whatever the other man was about to respond with was interrupted by the sharp wail of the comm. 

“Mr. Scott to Captain Kirk.” 

“Kirk here.”

“Captain, I’m in the Transporter room. Please come quick!”

 

When he bounded into the Transporter room, he found Scotty leaning against the landing pad looking morose. 

“What is it, Mr. Scott?” the Captain asked, his eyes scanning over the Engineer and the room. 

“It’s gettin’ bigger, sir...I’ve done e’rything I can and it jus’... gets... bigger,” the older man choked out a sob. “My bairn...the Enterprise is  _ infected. _ ”

Kirk just stared at the older man, having no idea what to do.  

“Pull yourself together, Engineer,” Kirk said, his voice firm but not unkind. “Elaborate”

Scotty’s face was a picture of sadness, his eyes big and brown and his mouth turned down like he was fighting tears. 

_ What the hell has gotten into him? _

Kirk didn’t want to think about the obvious...didn’t want to think that his friend and Chief of Engineering was infected. Regardless, he intended on telling the older man to head to sickbay as soon as they were done with their conversation. 

_ What difference does it make? We’re all going to get it anyway.  _ Something inside of Jim said sourly. 

The Captain pushed the thought away and directed his attention to his Engineer who was pointing at the thin silky threads that were coming from the bulb inside. They  _ had  _ spread-

Kirk tried to keep the alarm from his face, but for some reason his body was just not keeping up with his mind. He knew that his eyes were probably bugging out of his head, his heart jolting as his mind tried to process what he was seeing. The spider silk roots had grown and wrapped themselves into their system. They reached so far that Jim was pretty sure that if they were to remove the entire panel, the whole control center beneath the pad would be covered in the stuff. 

“How far do you think it’s reached, Scotty?” Jim breathed. 

His throat was dry and his heart would not slow down. 

_ Get a hold of yourself.  _

“Accordin to the scans, it’s already spread to basic controls...breached the compu’er system...why does this always ‘appen to us Cap’n? Why can’t the universe juust leave us aloone?”

_ Damn it. _

The last time that Kirk had heard anyone talk like this was when they were orbiting Psi 2000….

_ When I feel friendship for you, I feel ashamed…. _

“Have any of the affected areas shown any functional inconsistencies?”

“No...my darlin’ Enterprise is a fighter,” the Engineer said tearfully.  

“Report to sickbay Scotty,” Jim said gently. 

Those big eyes turned on him again. 

“Y’think I’m infected new? O’ course I am! Why not jus’ think the worst? Migh’ as well prepare for the  _ end of it all!” _

Kirk sighed. If this weren’t such a dire situation, he may have found it comical. 

“Report to sickbay,” he repeated. 

The Scot rose to his feet regally, obviously affronted, and strode out of the transporter room with an I’m-not-talking-to-you-anymore air about him. 

Jim pinched his sinuses and sighed again. 

He could feel a headache begin to form as he stared at the little device and its glittering silk that had spread into his beloved ship’s computer system. 

Kirk couldn’t help but relate to his friend...Scotty clearly loved this ship as much as he did. Now with his miracle-working Chief Engineer obviously infected, the Captain was grasping for straws, trying to think of who  _ else  _ could detangle this machinery from his own. 

_ T’hy’la, is everything alright? _

The brush in the back of his mind was comforting, and his heartbeat, which had not relaxed since his discussion with Scotty, was finally beginning to slow to its normal pace. 

Jim sent reassurance through their bond and he could feel his husband on the other side relax. 

Spock might have been able to fix this if he was given some time. 

He considered foregoing taking Dr. Usui back to Ame and heading to the nearest starbase for repairs instead, but her offer to gift him with enough flowers to hopefully heal his crew was first priority. He needed his  _ crew _ intact...then he could worry about the  _ ship _ . 

The whistle of the ‘com pulled him out of his thoughts. 

“Sickbay to Captain Kirk.”

“Kirk here,” he responded, his eyes still on the exposed wires. 

“This is Dr. M’Benga...I seem to be infected...I mean, I guess, but I could be wrong, but I have a fever...maybe it’s just really hot in sickbay? Can you come to sickbay and see if it’s hot in here? It could be messing with the scanners-”

Kirk could feel agitation boiling inside of him. 

Why? Why did this always happen to him? 

_ Scotty was right. _

_ The universe hates me.  _

“I’ll be right there,” Jim said. He knew the irritation was in his voice, but honestly, how was he supposed to hold it all in? He couldn’t be composed  _ all the time.  _

The world really did expect too much of him. 

_ Jim… _

The voice was in his head again and the racing thoughts stopped. 

_ Keep it together. _ He reminded himself. 

He sent as much gratitude and reassurance as he could through the bond and then headed to Sickbay. 

 

***30***

 

It  _ wasn’t _ hot in Sickbay...as a matter of fact, a very neurotic M’Benga had turned down the heat so much, it felt like walking into a refrigerator. 

Nurse Chapel was arguing with the doctor frantically when the Captain entered the room. She looked over at him, her face having the same look she had when she was using all of her might to be patient with another, particularly stubborn, doctor. 

“Captain, I’ve tried to reason with him-”

“It’s too damn hot in this place! I’m burning up!” M’Benga insisted. 

“That’s because you have a fever,” Chapel said, her hands on her hips. 

Kirk could tell by her tone it that this was probably the 20th time she’d said it in this conversation. 

He looked around at the patients in the beds...they all seemed to be basking in the cool. Jim, on the other hand, felt like he’d soon be a popsicle if they didn’t do something soon. 

He blinked...all of the beds in Sickbay were full….

“Dr. M’Benga, you are relieved from duty until your health improves,” he said absently, as he took in the overwhelming amount of patients. 

“Fine-Oh! That’s right! Captain!” the Doctor exclaimed. 

Nurse Chapel looked terribly annoyed at all of this. 

“You said you wanted to talk to the Romulan when she woke! She’s awake and her fever is down and she’s lucid and talking and she’s been walking which means she’s okay, I mean I think she’s okay-”

“Thank you, Doctor, you may return to your quarters. We’ll send a medical assistant with you,” the Captain looked pointedly at Nurse Chapel. 

She seemed to take the hint and pulled aside a haggard looking medical officer, murmuring what he assumed were instructions and nodded her head in the direction of the anxious doctor who was now nodding silently to himself as though he was agreeing with something in his head.

_ This is not good.  _

The medical officer gently took the older man’s elbow and guided him to the doors. 

The Captain addressed Christine, who was talking to two other medical officers, pointing to the patients and the temp control. 

“Who’s next on the roster?” he asked when she was done delegating. 

“Dr. Arthur Restel,” she said immediately. 

Kirk made a mental note to award her some commendation for her quick thinking and conduction during all of this insanity. 

“Has he been notified?”

“He’s wrapping up his work in the medical lab.”

“Has he found anything?”

“The doctor thinks that he’s found something that can help, but it will take time for him to make sure that it’s effective.”

“Good.”

Another medical officer approached and gently touched her arm to get her attention.

The little redhead spoke quickly in a low voice and the Head Nurse was whisked off to some other catastrophe. 

An older gentleman stepped through the doors, his medical kit slung around his body. He was the same height a Kirk, with salty blonde hair and large green eyes behind a pair of old fashioned glasses. There was something pleasant about the way he looked...something paternal about the lines on his face. 

_ I’ve never seen him before…. _

“Captain Kirk,” he said amiably, with a tight smile that seemed...odd on his face. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, though under the most  _ unpleasant _ circumstances.”

Dr. Restel said the word with a certain disdain...and Jim wondered how a person like this became a doctor. 

The green eyes behind the glasses surveyed the overcrowded Sickbay with disapproval. Kirk noticed, with some flash of familiarity, the man rubbed the back of his fingers along the front of his coat...as though trying to clean something off of them. 

“Nurse Chapel says you may have a solution,” Jim said, trying to keep his thoughts from wandering. 

“Definitely one in the works, Captain, but it needs more testing before I’d be comfortable administering it to anyone.”

“We may not have that kind of time.”

“I could try seeing what kind of effect it has on Tribbles in this state-”

“Oh tha’s just wonderful, innit? injecting some poor innocent creature with God knows what?”

Scotty had approached them without either of them noticing, and Jim pondered his own lack of awareness. 

“Mr. Scott!”

Nurse Chapel was back, her composure seeming to erode from the increasing stress that she was experiencing. 

“You need to get back to your bed,” she said, taking his arm gently and pulling him towards the other patients. 

“He’s gonna inject some poor innocent Tribble with-”

“I heard, Mr. Scott, but I won’t let him.”

Dr. Restel and Kirk turned towards her at the same time when she said that, but her eyes were staring into Scotty’s, her hand rubbing his arm soothingly. 

They heard the doors swish open and they turned to see Uhura darting into sickbay. 

“Monty?” she said, her beautiful dark eyes looking concerned. “I came as fast as I could, are you all right-”

“Get out of here  _ now,  _ ma’am!”

The Captain whipped his head to look. 

Had that really been  _ Christine _ who had addressed her friend in such a manner?

Uhura looked both affronted and confused, her eyes skipping around at everyone in Sickbay. 

“It’s all right, Lieutenant,” Jim said, frowning at the chaos all around him. “Try to stay out of Sickbay, it’s not safe right now.”

Uhura met his eyes pleadingly. 

“It’s alright,” he repeated as soothingly as he could muster. “I’ll keep you updated as soon as I’m done talking to the Doctor.”

She nodded and stepped backwards towards the door, taking one last look at Mr. Scott who was looking at the floor solemnly, and then turning to exit. 

“So much for quarantine,” Nurse Chapel mumbled, escorting Scotty gently towards his bed. 

Jim didn’t know how much more of this insanity he could take. 

_ Everyone has their limits. _

He addressed the Doctor, who was witnessing everything with a gaping look of disbelief on his face. 

“If you’re confident that the Tribbles won’t be hurt by the vaccine, go ahead and try it out. Get this thing ready as soon as possible.”

_ I never really cared for Tribbles anyway _ . He thought before being stunned by his own malice. 

There was definitely something wrong with him….

“Right away, sir,” the Doctor said absently, his eyes still roving over the frantic activity in the room. “Oh! Captain-”

“You think he’d get in here already,” Nurse Chapel interrupted beside Jim. 

“Who?” Kirk asked, after realising that she was talking to  _ him _ ...as though Dr. Restel wasn’t even there. 

“Dr. Restel. I can’t do everything by  _ myself _ around here,” she said peevishly. 

Jim looked over at Dr. Restel who looked as though he had been slapped in the face. 

“Christine! How dare you say things like that about me!” the older man said, looking both angry and confused. 

She glared at him. 

“And who the Hell are  _ you _ ? Didn’t you hear what I said to that other woman who tried to get in here?”

“It’s  _ me _ , Christine...Arthur-”

“I’ve never seen you before in my life!” she said angrily, putting her hands on her hips. “Captain, we have to have some sort of order here! Not just anyone should be able to get into Sickbay at a time like this. I insist that we allow access to authorised personnel only until all of this madness gets cleared up!”

“Now see here,  _ Nurse _ -” Dr. Legaspi started weakly. 

“Don’t you ‘Nurse’ me,  _ mister _ ! I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to leave  _ now _ !”

“He’s not a  _ Doctor? _ ” Scotty wailed from his bed. 

The other patients, who had been increasingly restless since Kirk had arrived, were all talking to each other now with inquisitive tones...and he wondered if they were even going to  _ make it  _ another two days...

Nurse Chapel threw her hands up in frustration and strutted to the comm on the wall. 

“Security!”

“Nurse Chapel!” Dr. Restel cried. 

“Get the fake, Tribble killin’ Doctor ou’ o’ ‘ere!” Scotty sobbed. 

_ No… _ Jim thought, retreating into his mind like a frightened turtle.  _ We’re not going to last one more day…let alone two.  _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so trends you’ve probably noticed: I love wake up sex. I just like it. If you don’t, you can take it up with another smut writer. Shower and bath sex are some of my other favorites...I guess I just like sex in places where the characters would be most relaxed! Missionary: Love it! I’m an absolute slut for romantic, staring-in-the-eyes, making-out-as-you-get-plowed lovemaking...and this is most easily achieved in missionary. Vanilla? Totally. But I consider my work to be the bakery of smut: all of my products are sweet and covered with frosting (probably next chapter: spoiler alert). Yes, the next chapter will start out with a Pon farr sex feast. I have posted this chapter against my beautiful Beta’s urgings...but I felt that if I didn’t do it now, it would never get done. If you notice something’s wrong, it’s my fault and please don’t tell on me. Thank you all for your love and support during this process!


	6. The Door part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Golly this is long.

*31*

 

Spock stared at the bright orange disk that Ensign Garrovick had brought him. The young man looked more stressed than usual when he brought the tapes to him, his eyes shifting to meet Spock's before abruptly looking away.

“I have no idea how this happened, Commander...we usually keep such good track of everything in cargo.”

Spock pulled up the information on the computer.

Two large units had somehow found their way into their cargo hold….

A niggling sense of annoyance bubbled in the back of Spock’s mind. At this point he wasn’t sure if it was his own or his lifemate’s, as it seemed that both of them had been experiencing...unusual trials all day.

How could the computer have not picked something like this up?

How could these things have avoided both the computer’s inventory scans and the manual inventory check conducted daily?

He skimmed through the contents of the disk and saw that the items had been logged as existing, but had not been initially logged in or checked by the security team….

Which means they didn’t know how long they’d been on the Enterprise or what was in them.

That explains the Ensign’s obvious anxiety.

“Should I show this to Captain Kirk?” the lieutenant asked with something in his voice that Spock couldn’t place.

That’s the last thing he needs. The Vulcan thought, feeling the ripples of flustered emotion signaling from the other side of their bond.

“Negative. I will present this information to the Captain myself.”

The Ensign seemed to sulk.

There was silence as the Commander tried to find the date that the unchecked cargo had appeared in their Cargo Hold.

When the lieutenant spoke again, his voice small and uncertain. “What’s the Captain like?”

Spock rose an eyebrow and looked at the younger man, who seemed to shrink under his gaze.

“You have met Captain Kirk, Ensign,” he reminded him.

The young man smiled sheepishly at that.

“Yes...he served with my father...but I meant-well, what I mean is-what is he like? Behind closed doors? Personally?”

There was that hint in his voice again, one that vibrated against the Vulcan’s hearing in a sour way.

The older man looked over his subordinate with more criticism.

He was young and attractive, with dark hair and skin, his eyes a bright blue, his body tight under the red shirt. Spock suddenly didn’t like this man at all.

“Unless the Captain finds himself in need of your...personal company, Ensign, that is of no consequence to you.”

The youth crossed his arms over his strong chest and those bright blue eyes flickered to the ring on Spock’s finger.

A flash of anger flitted through his consciousness, which he quickly stowed away for later evaluation.

The Vulcan pulled the disk from the computer and stood to his full height so he could tower over the younger man, who seemed to shrink in his shadow, his eyes becoming wide. Spock couldn’t help but feel a stroke of satisfaction as he handed the disk back to the Garrovick.  

This boy  needed to know that Spock would not be an easy challenge….

“You have the security footage of the Transporter room available for viewing?”

“Yes, Commander,” the Ensign said weakly, his eyes wide and never leaving the Vulcan’s.

The older man stepped closer into Garrovick’s personal space.

This is highly illogical...he was simply curious….Some part of his mind said. But Spock found that he didn’t want to control these emotions….

I am not the one who needs to be controlled...something growled in his mind.

“Give it to me,” the First Officer commanded.

Sweat was beginning to break out on the Ensign’s skin as he took two tries to free the disk from his pocket. His hand shook as he held it out for his superior officer.  

“It’s been cut down to only the footage with human activity,” he said meekly.

Spock took the green disk, his eyes never leaving the younger man’s, a clear challenge in his actions.

You are acting illogically. He told himself firmly...but some predatory part of him was screaming that this man was a challenger.

“Compile a list of personnel who worked the cargo hold on the date that these objects were first entered into our inventory,” Spock demanded in a low, dangerous voice.

He knew this was also illogical, as the computer could have done this simple task with no problem, and without wasting human labor, which was scarce during this particular dilemma. But when Garrovick nodded and skittered away, he couldn’t keep the enjoyment from rising up.

He should not have presumed to challenge me for the affections of my mate...he thought as he slid the new disk into the computer, doing away with the thoughts that said Illogical. An unnecessary display of possessive behavior.

There was 160 hours, 4 minutes, and 25 seconds of footage still left on the disk.

The Vulcan frowned internally. There was no way he was going to get through all of this alone. He pressed the ‘com at his desk.

“Commander Spock to Lieutenant Uhura.”

 

*32*

 

Jim walked into the Med Brig tentatively.  

He hadn’t thought that anything could be more chaotic than Sickbay, but after entering his code, and being escorted by security though the hallways, he realized with overwhelming dismay that he had been mistaken.

They stopped at the familiar, secured doorway where a woman had once been laying and shuddering in pain.

Now what Kirk saw Sienae Smith curled on the bed, dressed in fresh clothes, and reading her medical charts with rapt attention. The Romulan seemed to see him out of the corner of her eye, and she gracefully slid from the bed, placing the chart on it. She walked up to the force field, her dark eyes large and searching.

Something about her was...different.

Those dark alien irises flickered to the security guard beside the Captain, looking him over with obvious suspicion.

“Leave us,” Kirk told the Redshirt softly.

 

Once they were alone, they regarded each other for a moment.

All Jim had thought about on his way into the Med Brig was how much he hated this woman...she had tried to drug and enslave his husband, and she had deliberately destroyed evidence that would have led him to Dr. Kabakai. All in all, this beautiful woman was a menace, and Kirk had made up his mind upon entering that he would tell her so as soon as he got the chance. But the thoughts and the sentiments died upon seeing her face.

“Ms. Smith,” he said stiffly, breaking the ice.

“Captain Kirk,” she responded politely.

There was no malice in her voice...none of the scorn she had doled out to generously at dinner on the night of her arrival.

“You have come here to talk with me,” she stated, pulling a chair a little closer to the force field so she could sit upon it delicately.

“You’re not surprised,” Jim responded, mirroring her action and pulling a chair close to the force field so that they might finally have the discussion that he had been dying to have.

“I’m not,” she confirmed.

She placed her hands in her lap and tangled her fingers together.

The fingers of a surgeon. Kirk reflected.

“You’ve been contained because you have been accused of destruction of evidence and attempt of drugging a fellow officer...your intentions unknown.”

“You wish to know my intentions.”

“Affirmative.”

“Captain…” her eyes shifted as though she was looking for the words somewhere around where they sat. “I do not know my intentions.”

“You don’t know why you destroyed the Cyborg?” Kirk asked with obvious disbelief. He leaned back and crossed his arms.

“I did not destroy that Cyborg, Captain.”

Her voice was clear as she spoke, her words controlled with deliberate calm as though she knew that this was going to be a long conversation...as though she knew the man in front of her would not believe her.

And why the hell should I?

“Really? Then who did?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh? And I suppose you didn’t try to drug Commander Spock either, is that it?”

Kirk knew that these were not the interrogating methods Starfleet would have approved of. If he was going to be the “Bad Cop”, the least he could do was have a “Good Cop” here to even him out.

Unfortunately, staffing didn’t allow for such luxuries at the moment.  

Looks like you’ll just have to settle for the “Bad Cop,” Ms. Smith.

She kept still, defeat written all over her face.

Something inside of him softened a little.

Keep it together.

He sighed and uncrossed his arms, bending closer to the force field and resting his elbows on his knees.

“How did you get those Elasian tears, Ms. Smith?”

She shook her head, her thick black curls falling into her face at the slight disruption.

“I don’t know what that is, Captain.”

“The lotion that you tried to drug my husband with,” he specified, making his voice a little firmer.

“I did no such thing, Captain,” she said, her voice strong and confident.  

“You put that lotion on your hands and you were going to touch Mr. Spock with them-”

“I didn’t know there was anything in that hand lotion.”

“Was it yours?”

“Yes.”

“Had it been out of your sight since you bought it? Perhaps you let someone borrow it?”

“No- no I didn’t buy it.”

“Stole it?”

Her eyes narrowed at that.

“It was a gift, Captain.”

“From whom?”

“I don’t know-” she said.

“Is it often you receive gifts from anonymous strangers?”

“No, this was-” she heaved a sigh. “This was the first time….”

Kirk wanted to shake her...scream at her to just come out with it.

Who the hell do you work for? Where is Kabakai? I know it was you! Daniels said it was you!

“I thought I was special…” she whispered, most likely to herself. A tear rolled down her face as she looked down at her slender hands.

She whisked the tear away with her fingertip and pulled a thick curl behind her pointed ear.

“But I was wrong. And now I feel even more foolish than I did before.”

“What do you mean?”

“You never had to worry about me, Captain. Commander Spock is in love with you.”

She looked straight into his eyes now. “I don’t know what got into me, Captain. I’m married to my work. I’ve never pursued a mate before in my entire life.”

“Funny how that didn’t stop you from chasing a married man.”

“That’s just it, Captain...a married man...men aren’t my preference...and I have very strong feelings for someone else.”

There was another beat of silence and the wheels in Kirk’s head began to spin furiously.

“Why did you-do you-feel foolish, Ms. Smith?”

“I received the anonymous gift at the transporter room,” she said, looking down at her hands. “I only accepted it because I recognized the fragrance...the last time Marissa- Dr. Sapri and I had gone shopping together, I had admired that lotion...told her that I loved how it smelled.”

She seemed embarrassed now...and so sad.

“You think she got the lotion for you?” Kirk asked, his suspicions rising.

How much did he even know about the young doctor?

“I thought so at first...and I had been so excited,” Smith rolled her eyes, as though she couldn’t believe her own stupidity. “I decided that I’d confront her about it...tell her how I felt. I hadn’t opened the communication about Sendal yet….”

“What did she say?” Jim urged gently.

“Before I had a chance to say anything, she asked me if I had bought her the broach that she had admired so much...apparently, she had received it as an anonymous gift….”

Kirk sighed internally.

There were no more answers here...just more questions.

The victim list was piling up.

“You said that you had feelings for Dr. Sapri...then why did you pursue Spock?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t know...my memory fades in and out...it’s like I’ve been drunk...but functional. I could work, but my emotions were uncontrollable...they didn’t even feel like they were mine.”

“When did you start to feel that way?” Jim asked, thinking of Bones locked up in one of these rooms...thinking of Scotty crying in Sickbay….

“The morning before I arrived on the Enterprise,” she said. “I got a cold.”

 

*33*

 

Lieutenant Sibley stood at the Transporter controls, his fingers tapping against the ledge: a common sign of anxiety, Spock knew. Ensign Martinez glared at Sibley with annoyance, looking down at the source of the noise pointedly.  

“Hey, were you gonna go to the galley anytime soon? I could really use a coffee,” Sibley finally said.

Perhaps that was his cause for his unsettled behavior...Jim sometimes got slightly agitated if he was caffeine deprived.  

“Sure, Dave,” Martinez said, boredom making his voice heavy. “I’ll be glad to have a change of scenery.”

Sibley clapped him on the back and grinned as he walked away. “I’ll be here! You’re the best!”

“Yeah, yeah. Just cover me if any of the big guns get down here, huh?”

“Sure thing!”

But the doors had already shut behind Martinez.

This could possibly be the culprit. Spock thought as Sibley looked around, as though worried that he would be seen.

When the Engineer seemed secure in his secrecy, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out...something so small that, from this angle, Spock couldn’t see what it was. Sibley reached with his fingertips under the control ledge and clicked it underneath.

The Engineer looked around again, and then pulled out the Calibrator to inspect the Landing Pad.

The Vulcan watched as the man ran the machine along the area, running right past where Spock knew the device was hiding behind the panel...then he stepped onto the landing pad, holding the calibrator out in front of him as he continued his hourly inspection.

Spock remembered that Scotty had said that the device had not affected the Transporter….

Then Sibley returned the Calibrator and resumed his position behind the controls.

It wasn’t the Landing Pad, but the behavior was suspicious nonetheless.

“Computer, display next interaction with this particular area,” Spock said, touching the screen with a stylus and circling Sibley’s mystery magnet.  

“Do you think you have something Mr. Spock?” Uhura asked from the station she had set up next to his.

They had been at it for four hours n000ow.

The First Officer had narrowed the search within the computers to only show them instances where there was interaction with the landing pad.

He had witnessed an inappropriate butt pinch from Yeoman Diana Young to Security Officer Valerie Taylor.

Those two had been the focus of many of his tapes...between the pinches, squeezes, caresses and occasional discreet return of items, probably left in each other’s quarters, they had taken up almost three hours of the footage alone.

The First Officer wondered if the inconvenience that their indiscretions had caused would be grounds to change their shifts, until he took into account how many hours he and his own bondmate would have taken had their intimate exchanges been within this one area.

Deducing that he could not, on logical grounds, fault them for anything, he made no comments about these findings beyond information purposes.

“Undetermined,” Spock replied distractedly, his eyes focused on the screen.

The computer jumped frames to the next time Sibley’s device was affected. Slim, feminine fingers slipped under the lip of the surface, finding what Sibley had left behind.

The Vulcan frowned when the device that she extracted was a tiny Note Screen. He had seen these before. Most of them were magnetised and had thumbprint recognition so as to exchange memos and remember passwords.

She thumbed the screen and the words appeared: “I love you.”

Something inside of the First Officer warmed when he thought of how his bondmate would have reacted if he had been present to witness this emotional display.

He would call in “romantic.” Spock mused.

He felt a tug inside of him and he took a moment to check in on the bond...to hear his husband...to feel him and touch his mind.

Jim was busy, focused and very stressed.

Spock knew that it was inevitable for his Captain to feel the pressures of command, especially now during such an exceptionally chaotic time. Regardless, Spock never wished him to any more stress than was necessary. He sent a caress of calm through the bond and a few seconds later he felt love and gratitude.

“Computer, proceed with video feed.”

More exchanges...officers gave each other alcohol and other contraband...Spock frowned when he witnessed someone stick gum under the surface and was gratified when their co-engineer’s hand appeared to give the offending crewman a slap for their discrepancy.

He watched himself and his Captain appear several times in the Transporter room, sometimes alone but mostly with Spock.

I belong at the side of my t’hy’la.

From the position that Spock had specified, he had a constant and appealing view of his husband’s rear on multiple occasions and made a mental note of the time stamps so he could collect these shots...for scientific reasons of course.

He was looking at a particularly good shot when he heard a low whistle behind him.

The Vulcan turned just in time to catch Garrovick staring at the screen with an approving look in his eye.

“Did you need something, Ensign?” the Vulcan asked coldly.

“Oh, uh, you wanted these,” he replied, obviously having a hard time looking away from the screen as he handed a disk to the irritated First Officer. “The Captain...he looks good…”

“That is sufficient,” Spock all but snapped, hitting a button to show the next scene.

But the younger man was undeterred.

“She’s got a nice one too,” the man said, tilting his head a little.

Spock looked at the screen to see Dr. Sapri leaning against the landing pad, her hands pressed against the wall so her already shapely behind would be accentuated. She tossed her hair flirtatiously and he could hear her giggling, her body language focused on Dr. McCoy, who was grinning from ear to ear on the landing pad. Spock observed his own beautiful mate standing beside his friend on the landing pad, giving his best friend a knowing, little smile.

Jim is so beautiful….

His Vulcan ears picked up a sigh, and Spock turned to find that the annoying young man was still there...staring at Jim...his Jim.

“That is sufficient, Ensign,” the First Officer repeated, heat building inside of him.

I need to meditate...this is no way for a logical Vulcan to act.

The younger man looked at Spock, startled, took one last glance on the gorgeous figure on the landing pad, and then practically ran out of the room.

The Vulcan stared at the image of his lover on the screen, dressed in his formal uniform, flanked by McCoy and Usui.

This was when I almost lost him.

The thought was an alarming one, and he felt himself reflexively reaching for the bond again, reassuring himself once more that his adun was safe and healthy...remembering his nightmare….

He watched the image as his bondmate and the two doctors faded away, leaving the landing pad empty.

Spock’s heart did a lurch...his soul burning.

Jim.

My heart, my love… the Vulcan’s mind whispered.

Meet me in the labs.

He could feel affirmation breathe through the bond, and he turned to Uhura.

“You may take a break, Lieutenant.”

“But I haven’t found-”

“We will commence tomorrow. I have detained you from your regular duties for too long.”

“Aye, sir.”

She looked confused, but relieved, when she exited the labs, leaving Spock alone at the computer, staring at the empty landing pad on the screen.

 

**34**

 

The doors to the lab opened before Jim had gotten close enough for the motion sensors to work, but he wasn’t surprised….He could feel the urgency through the bond...the burning.

Spock stepped through the doors, his body language displaying none of the haste that he felt pushing against his consciousness. The Vulcan gently took his hand in his own and guided him into the lab.

“Computer, lock the doors. Captain and First Officer override.”

“Spock, what’s this-”

But hot, Vulcan lips were already pressed against his, demanding and consuming. Strong arms encircled him, pulling him against the hard, lean body of his husband.

Kirk melted into the embrace, letting the older man take control, opening his mouth and plunging his tongue in the hot mouth. All of the tension that his shift had piled onto him throughout the day slid away from him. He was safe...never alone.

Sickbay and Med Brig were forgotten...Sienae Smith, Bones, the disease, the device...all of it gone….

All that existed was the feel and smell of his beloved against him. Perhaps it wasn’t the most Captainly thing to do...abandon his post to make out with his First Officer in an otherwise abandoned lab….

It’s been a challenging day.

The Vulcan’s big hands gripped his ass tightly and pull their groins together...hardness matching hardness…

“Ah, Spoc-mmmmm”

Spock was having no talking...the taste of his mate, the feeling of his love alive and warm and here.

Jim was fine with that.

Spock’s hands were everywhere, slipping under the gold shirt to caress warm skin, threading through red blond strands of hair, feeling the hum of his lover’s mind surrounding him, their physical contact making their bond sing.

Jim didn’t bother wondering what had gotten into his usually composed First Officer...it was as though Spock’s touch was soothing something inside of him...some pain that he didn’t know he had been experiencing until his husband’s mind touched it, cooled it. Kirk fumbled at his bondmate’s pants while the large Vulcan hands cupped his face so that he could be kissed more thoroughly. Jim was a wonderful multitasker though, and soon his hand was successfully down Spock’s pants, grabbing his cock and squeezing it, feeling the heavy girth in his hands and feeling an aching in his own loins.

Spock made a tiny whimper in Jim’s mouth, dropping his hands down to his human’s ass, wanting to feel his skin...annoyed that either of them still had their clothes on.

All his thoughts were wiped away, though, when the warm, strong hand of his lover began stroking his dick, slicking it with his own lubrication which, Jim fleetingly noticed, was thicker and smoother today than he had experienced in the past.

Spock clung to his mate, completely at his mercy as the younger man set about bringing his husband to orgasm...which he did successfully and embarrassingly fast.

The Vulcan leaned his head on the golden shoulder and moaned as his lover milked his cock, paying no mind to the sticky mess that he had left on the command shirt.

I love pleasing you….

The voice in Spock’s head made him feel calm...a concrete and indisputable reminder that his Bondmate was well, and alive, and their bond was whole and healthy.

The Vulcan kissed Jim deeply before sinking to his own knees and undoing Kirk’s pants.

Kirk bit his lower lip as he watched his husband take his whole cock into his mouth with obvious, burning impatience.

Spock didn’t bother with any teasing, no soft licking or sweet caresses. He wanted, and he was going to take.

And he took.

He swallowed the human dick...languished in the pleasure of his mate...could feel his lover’s heart beating and the heat of their union through their bond. He wanted to make his chosen come...wanted to provide the services of a strong and good bondmate.

The younger man caught the thought through their bond and screamed something unintelligible as he released himself into his lover’s waiting throat.

Spock swallowed it all. The cum was delicious in his mouth...he had never really noticed how addicting the taste was until he was licking on his lover’s spent cock, craving more.

Jim’s hands were buried in his dark hair, his legs shaking from strain and sensitivity as the tongue still lapped at his overly sensitive penis.

The Vulcan’s hot kisses moved up the younger man’s belly, and soon he was standing again, hovered over his shorter husband possessively, his mouth on Jim’s again.

It was unspoken, but present.

Mine mine mine….

Kirk was too busy tasting himself on his husband’s hot breath to realise that the older man had considerately buttoned and zipped the Captain’s pants back into something presentable.

Jim returned the favor as his Vulcan kissed his neck and stroked his fingers along the gold fabric of the Captain’s back.

They had to get back to work, and the Captain knew that...but Jim didn’t want to leave from the safety of home’s embrace.

Just a little bit longer….

He heard his communicator chirp and he sighed.

Spock heeded it no mind and instead pulled the shorter man closer, his nose in the crook of Jim’s neck.

I’ll ignore it. He decided.

He had a life after all...he was only human, how did they expect him to do everything around here?

His First Officer pressed up against him and that’s when he realized that his husband was hard again...and then-

Spock nipped at his lover’s neck, pressing a kiss into the same spot afterwards.

“You are ready to go again, adun….”

His Science Officer was observant as ever. Jim couldn’t remember a time when he had bounced back from an orgasm so quickly.

His communicator chirped again, and this time the Captain couldn’t ignore it. He gently pulled away enough to grab the device and flip it open.

“Kirk here,” he said, his heart rate spiking when the Vulcan grabbed his ass, obviously very interested in indulging in their activities further.

“Siliana here, Captain. Commodore Daniels is requesting communication with you.”

“What are you doing back on the Bridge?” Jim inquired, biting back a moan when Spock pushed his hands up under his shirt to find his nipple. “Tell him I’m busy.”

“He is quite insistent-”

“I’m busy-”

“He says it’s urgent, sir-”

Spock snatched the communicator out of Jim’s hand. “The Captain has communicated that he is currently occupied. The Commodore is fully capable of leaving a message for the Captain to review the moment he is undetained.”

The Vulcan snapped it shut, and when it chirped again, he squeezed it a little harder, bending the metal so that it could no longer be opened.

Jim gave him a chastising look, but placed a swift kiss on his lips anyway.

“I should find out what this is all about...later….”

The Vulcan groaned, letting his head rest on the younger man’s shoulder.

“Have your found anything about the device yet?” Jim asked, not really wanting to leave the comfort of his husband’s presence.

“Lieutenant Sheri is no longer permitted to procure gum from the galley,” Spock responded unhelpfully.

Kirk chuckled.

“Maybe we should take our lunch break together…I need to change my shirt...” Jim ventured. “We’re Starfleet’s Postman, it seems, for now...I can’t imagine we’ll be missed for an hour….”

Spock pulled away so he could kiss the blond again.

 

*35*

 

It was an unproductive day, all in all.

Jim arrived at their quarters first, after picking up lunch and a few more snacks. After setting the food in practical places, where they could be seen, he fluffed the pillows, added a few more and turned up the heat in their room. When Spock finally arrived, Kirk was rearranging the items around their quarters and had changed into more comfortable attire.

Spock himself had stopped by their Arboretum and had picked out a pot of flowers that he knew would please his mate. He was not disappointed, as Kirk’s eyes immediately lit up when he saw them.

“They’re beautiful...they let you take these?” Jim asked, leaning in so he could smell them...a gesture that the Vulcan found ridiculously endearing.

“Mr. Sulu brought the specimens from Hrech and has made them available to the crew,” Spock assured him. “I selected these according to your preferences.”

“You picked them out just for me?” Jim asked, smiling so that his eyes glittered.

“Indeed,” the older man responded, feeling his face becoming hot and his heart beginning to flutter.

“Thank you,” the human said, almost shyly.

The Vulcan felt himself blushing even more….

He felt like he had in the beginning of their courtship...almost uncertain, though he knew that was illogical….

Jim was his Bondmate….

They were married in both the human and Vulcan way.

And his beautiful Bondmate was now offering him a bowl of Plomeek soup, which Kirk had ordered to be programmed into the replicator (along with an entire menu of Vulcan food) as a gift after their Bonding.

 

The two Senior Officers spent two hours instead of one for their lunch break. They ate, and then Spock helped Jim meditate, directing him into their shared mental space once more. Spock eventually, albeit reluctantly, left to resume his work in the labs. Kirk had intended on going back to the Bridge where he was supposed to be, but opted instead to completely clean their quarters from head to toe.

Kirk didn’t think about Commodore Daniels, Lieutenant Smith, or Dr. Kabakai for the rest of the day….

 

*36*

 

The next day, Spock and Uhura had reached the end of the security tapes in the Transporter room.

At that point, they knew that they had already passed the point of the device’s installation, according to Mr. Scott’s information.

They continued anyway in hopes that perhaps whoever had installed it, or was involved in the situation, would return to the scene.

The First Officer watched the screen when Nyota materialised onto the Landing Pad wearing a brand new outfit that was at the top of Hrechite fashion, he was sure. Behind her, Sulu and Chekov materialised, each holding several shopping bags and boxes. The Communications Officer stepped off of the Landing Pad, her entourage following her with her haul like two pack mules. She stopped in front of the controls so she could show off her new outfit for Scotty.

The Vulcan watched as Mr. Scott grinned and nodded. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek and motioned for her two shopping assistants to follow her.

There had been no significant interactions with their Landing Pad so far….

“Report,” Spock said to Uhura, who he now noticed was wearing a new pair of earrings that she probably bought on their shore leave.

As long as she does not decide to bring any new pets on board. Spock mused.

“There’s nothing out of the ordinary, sir,” she said, her voice sounding tired, but alert.

A little sound bleeped through the silence of the lab.

Spock recognized it immediately, as he himself had the same little keychain secured on his belt.

“Oh, sorry, sir,” Uhura said, quickly grabbing the small circle of glass that she wore around her neck like a pendant.

“Monty got one for me on Hrech,” she said by way of explanation.

“The Captain purchased one for me as well,” Spock responded, finding that he was appreciating the distraction.

He needed meditation...he had been so unfocused these past few days, he wondered how his Captain hadn’t called attention to his unprofessional behavior.

The Vulcan took the opportunity to glance at their bond….

Jim was feeling uncomfortable, as Spock had noticed he had been for the past few days...he was hungry...craving sweets…and he was cold.

The First Officer leaned back and looked at the screen which was slowly counting up to the present...the final ten minutes of the footage that he had requested.

He looked over at the Communications officer whose eyes were fixed on her screen, seemingly determined to finally get the work over with. Spock knew, logically, that he should complete his work...there wasn’t much in this department left to do….

But he felt impatient.

Spock couldn’t stand the idea of his mate being in discomfort.

“I must attend to the Captain,” the Vulcan said to Uhura, who made a little noise of affirmation as she watched her screen, her chin resting in her hand.

Spock felt a small twinge of guilt flit through his own consciousness as he thought of how hard the woman was working. She had picked up two extra shifts to accomodate for the depleting staff, while he himself had taken two hours for lunch the day before and was now shrugging off his duties to visit his husband.

Deciding to meditate for at least 30 minutes after reviewing the last of his footage, he headed to the galley with intent.

 

*37*

 

Kirk knew when he had woken up for his shift that morning that the day was going to be an absolute disaster.

After receiving a report, upon waking, that the amount of active crew members had been halved in one night by the rampant illness, he signed himself up for at least two consecutive shifts. He tried to take comfort in the fact that they were getting closer to Ame by the hour, but he couldn’t help but feel that by the time they arrived to the stormy planet, he would be the only person rushing around on the Bridge.

The first thing that Jim noticed when reporting for duty, was how cold it was. He frowned when he noticed that no one else seemed to be bothered by this, and then decided that he was just being too sensitive. Kirk chalked it up to lack of sleep. The night before, Spock had brought his Science Kit into their quarters so that he could pick away at his experiments, while Jim sat beside him, going through his paperwork and trying to catch up.

The amount of work on their plate, now that there was hardly any crew to accomplish it, was staggering. The two of them had managed to get roughly an hour of sleep before returning to their duties. Kirk didn’t feel at all rested, as he and Spock had slept at different times, and sleeping without his mate by his side was more difficult than he had imagined.

Especially now, as it seemed his yearning for his mate’s presence had taken precedence in his mind...above his duties and their crisis.

 

Jim’s attention was now turned to Lieutenant Siliana, whose eyes were casted down in concentration, her face screwed up into an expression of concern. One finger was holding the silver earpiece in place while the other was hovering over the orange mute button.

“Yes, Commodore, I understand...I’ve spoken to both the Captain and First Officer Spock, but he is indisposed- Yes I’ve tried-”

“Lieutenant,” Jim interrupted, not really ready to take the torch of this conversation from her, but brushing the thought aside.

He was the Captain, after all…

He seemed to be reminding himself of that a lot as of late.

She looked up at him with her big, black eyes, relief casting over them.

“He’s here, Commodore,” she said, pulling the earpiece out and thrusting it at Kirk.

“It’s Commodore Daniels, sir-” she said, her eyes staring into his.

Kirk didn’t know why he didn’t just take the shining metal object from her right then and there...what was he waiting for? There were matters to be discussed...situations to be handled, and he could use all of the help he could get. But something in the back of his mind was frowning.

The Commodore was being particularly annoying...didn’t he know that Kirk was a busy man? With an entire ship to run and a crew to care for?

No. He can wait another two minutes.

As though she could sense the impending refusal, Siliana’s eyes widened even more, her lips pressing into a thin line on her dark face.

“Take...the call….”

“I’ll take it in my ready room,” Kirk said, trying not to feel absolutely fantastic about being more petty than responsible.

It will be warmer in there….

“Please-”

“Tell him I’m on my way now,” he said, turning away and scanning the Bridge.

He frowned internally when he saw the Helm where Ensign Chekov was trying to throw popcorn into Riley’s open mouth. Both of them were laughing hysterically as the Russian chucked another piece, which bounced off of the other man’s face to join its brethren on the floor. Kirk’s eyes followed the yellow puff as it landed.

Was Chekov’s aim really that bad?

How had he ever trusted the man with a Phaser?

“You must hold still if you vish to ketch it!” the Ensign exclaimed.

“Well you’ve gotta aim!” Riley retorted, a chuckle in his voice.

Kirk glanced hopefully over at the Science station, but felt disappointment settle in his chest when he saw Plava there. The Hrechite was leaned back in his chair, a bag of sweets sitting on the controls beside the Scanner while he read something on his PADD, completely absorbed. The Science officer stuffed two giant fingers into the bag, gingerly digging and emerging with a piece of chewy candy that he popped into his mouth.

“Mr. Plava, don’t you belong in Med bay?” Kirk gumbled, looking at the bag of candy with envy.

“No’ enough Science Officers fo’ the Bridge,” the giant responded, using his huge thumb to scroll on his PADD.

“Mmmmmm!!!”

Kirk whirled around to see what the exclamation was behind him, and saw Riley happily crunching on a piece of popcorn while Chekov held both hands in the air in triumph.

The only person who seemed to be lucid enough to be functioning on the Bridge was his Communications officer, who was wearing the earpiece again, hunched over in her station with a look of utter defeat.

“Yes, Commodore,” she said, her voice low, her pale eyes flashing over at Kirk.

“Mr. Chekov.”

He tried to keep authority in his voice.

“Yes, Keptin?” the Ensign responded distractedly, aiming another piece of popcorn at his companion who waited with his mouth held open comically.

“How long before we reach Ame?” Jim asked, watching the yellow puff fly and bounce off of the Irishman’s nose.

“Tventy hours, give or take,” the brunette responded, picking more crunchy ammunition from the top of the bowl.

Kirk bit back his annoyed retort at the vagueness of the answer, deciding instead to choose his battles.

“We’re going as fast as we can?” Jim asked, eyeing the buttery popcorn and wondering if they had put salt on it.

“As fest as it ken-hold steel!”

The Navigator clicked his tongue and withheld the treat from his companion, who was reaching down now to eat the pieces that had fallen on the floor.

“The ship von’t go any fester...der’s something wrong vid it...sorry, Keptin. But vid Mr. Scott seek…”

The younger man shrugged, giving his Captain a helpless look while taking a bite of his snack.

Kirk shook his head.

Of course not.

He stalked off the Bridge without another word, shooting one more glance at Lieutenant Plava who was holding a hand against his chest, watery eyes fixed on his PADD, obviously moved by whatever had him so engrossed.

Jim had a second to think that now would be the perfect opportunity for an attack on his ship, before the doors shut on the fiasco that was his Bridge.

 

*38*

 

The Commodore’s face had that same nervous, pinched look it always seemed to have, when Jim flicked on the monitor. He was wringing his hands, his beady black eyes glazed and staring into the distance.

“Commodore,” the Captain greeted politely, wondering why he had waited so long to get back to his Superior and deciding to reflect on it later.

It wasn’t like him to shrug off responsibility….

The eyes shot up to the screen when he noticed Kirk and his mouth opened, working frantically. It took a moment to realise that the older man was forming words…words that he couldn’t hear. Jim could feel an impending sense of deja vu settling over him like a dark shadow over his consciousness. It was happening again.

Jim blinked the thought away and put a hand up to signal Philip to stop talking.

“Wait, Commodore, I can’t hear you.”

The other man’s eyes widened on the screen and he began gesticulating wildly.

God! Doesn’t he know I can’t hear him? Kirk thought peevishly.

“Computer, turn on sound,” Jim commanded.

“Sound is on,” the computer responded in its flat voice.

The Commodore had continued talking on the other side, but his voice was still mute. Jim tried to stow away the great satisfaction he got from being unable to hear the man.

“Computer, turn the sound to an audible level,” Kirk tried.

“Audio level is equal to your voice,” said the automated voice.

Jim tried not to roll his eyes as he snatched his PADD from his desk and typed “I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”

He held it up for the other man to see.

The Commodore’s black eyes flickered over the words and he began rummaging soundlessly on his side of the transmission.

He found his PADD and began typing something with shaky hands.

The Commodore looked back up and locked his eyes on the Captain, flipping the PADD over and lifting it to the younger man’s eye level.

Jim leaned closer to make out what he was seeing...it was dark...a picture taken in darkness?

A large slab made of stone...or at least it looked like stone in the terrible lighting.

There were four living figures that he could make out in the picture. Two of them familiar, and two of them unfamiliar.

One of them was bigger than the others...a male with a hefty build….

Mudd...Jim thought sourly.

The other two were small females...who were carrying the large piece of stone as though it weighed nothing.

A slight, feminine figure stood in the background...she looked so familiar.

The picture was obviously taken sometime in the evening, as he couldn’t make out any other discernible features, and didn’t know exactly what the Commodore was trying to show him. From the angle, it must have been a surveillance camera that had taken the picture.

Daniels pointed to the woman in the background, and it zoomed in enough so that he could see dark hair….

“Computer, restore colors on image-”

That was when the screen went black.

“What the Hell, Computer?” Kirk cursed, unable to control his annoyance.

“Visual communication is unavailable at this time,” the computer responded.

“Damn it,” Jim breathed. “Computer, establish verbal communication with Commodore Daniels.”

“Working...verbal communication unavailable.”

Kirk threw himself out of the chair, his blood boiling with frustration.

His mind went back to the bean sized mechanism in his transporter room...spreading its technological disease.

Why?

Why me?

 

When he barreled back onto the Bridge, Riley was pelting popcorn at the navigator, who had his hands up in defense while he laughed hysterically.

“Not as easy as it seems, eh lad?” Riley cried, turning the bowl of popcorn over, yellow blossoms raining over the thick crown of brown hair...and all over the floor.

Siliana was staring at the spectacle, her earpiece secured and her hands resting on the controls. She looked over at Kirk, her dark face pleading.

“Captain-”

The Hrechite at the Science station let out a guffaw that caused both of the humans to flinch.

“Captain, there’s something wrong with my station. Someone keeps trying to contact us, but we can’t hear it and I don’t know if they’re hearing our response.”

Jim nodded and slid into the Command Chair, his finger finding the ‘com button on the control panel.

“Bridge to Lieutenant Uhura.”

“Uhura, Captain,” a tired voice responded.

“Please report to the Bridge.”

He didn’t say anything further in fear of anyone else on the ship overhearing. Kirk didn’t know how his compromised, and exhausted crewman would act if they found out that their ship could no longer communicate with outside...again.

Jim felt something curl in the pit of his stomach...a feeling of total helplessness. He knew that he was tired...surviving off of minimal sleep.

I’m compromised. His mind supplied, but he shook it away.

I’m cursed.

Of all the Starships, and missions, and worlds, and species, and plantlife, why did the Enterprise and her crew always find the worst of them?

He thought back on all of the logs that he’d listened to, and the discussions that he’d had with other Captains...they all seemed to look at him with rapt attention and disbelief at the things that he had experienced in his time on his ship. Some had served longer than him...had commanded their ships on missions for over a decade without ever scratching the surface of the kind of mayhem that seemed to plague Captain Kirk and his crew of 430.

When he listened to their experiences, it was almost like listening to a bedtime story...one of peace...of missions sent from Starfleet that were completed on time and without incident.

It sounded like Heaven to Jim right now...a life of the unremarkable.

But then he thought of Spock...someone so remarkable.

He remembered a poem that his mother had read to him once...a line ringing in his mind as he gazed out into the blackness of space before him.

I was destined to be great, and that has a price.

All my glory and my fate, it folds on me thrice.

 

Jim heard the doors slide open behind him, pulling him out of the refuge of his daydreams and back to the harsh reality of his circumstances. He turned in his chair and saw, with surprise, the tall, slim figure of his husband...a vision in blue.

“Spock,” he said softly, unable to keep the relief from his voice or a goofy smile from his lips. How he hadn’t noticed his husband’s presence approaching before, he didn’t know...the bond was pulsing with concern and reassurance...and something else that seemed to bubble beneath the calm of their shared spring.

“First Officer on the Bridge!”

It was Siliana, who stared at her fellow officers with annoyance that no one else had done their duty.

None of them said anything. Mr. Plava was dabbing his eyes with a tissue, reading his stories, while the other two men were arm wrestling over the Helm.

Jim’s head ached with the thoughts that buzzed through him like a train on rickety tracks...too blurry to make out, but loud.

There’s too much...his mind despaired.

His breath quickened and he could feel the beginnings of a panic attack seeping into his body like poison.

Jim felt strong hands on his shoulders, gentle and loving. It was the slightest touch to begin with, connecting more to his mind than his physical being, and then Spock’s hands became more insistent, kneading and pushing into his muscles, working the tension out of Jim’s body with such a grand effect that Kirk felt his eyes slide shut despite himself, his head tilting back against the chair.

Jim could practically feel Spock’s eyes linger over his exposed neck and he felt something primal inside of him...Jim bearing his throat like this...showing his trust for his mate.

“I have brought you nourishment,” Spock said, his voice low, knowing that what his lover needed, at this moment, was peace. All the Vulcan wanted to do at that moment was cradle his husband’s mind in a meld and protect it from all of this mess. He could feel the weight that was pressing against his Captain’s mind as though it were on his own.

It is my own...he thought. This man shares my soul….

The golden eyes looked up at Spock, filled with relaxation and love.

So much love….

He had found where he belonged in this universe...and it wasn’t a place.

“Mmmm?” Kirk inquired wordlessly.

Spock gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible smile and held up a bag, which caused his adun to turn his whole body to look at it, his eyes glowing with excitement.

The Vulcan offered the bag to his mate, who made eye contact as he took it with a grin.

The sack had an amazing scent and a wide array of colors, and Jim realised that they were sweets.

His smile widened and he looked at his husband conspiratorially.

“You shouldn’t have, Mr. Spock,” he said, reaching in and taking a piece out to nibble on it.

The Vulcan felt a remarkable sense of gratification at having brought something that Jim desired…

He had felt his husband’s cravings, and he had provided...  

While his human rummaged through the bag, Spock placed a warm sweater over his husband’s shoulders, picking a speck of lint off of it.

“How long until we reach Ame?”

“Twenty hours or so,” Jim said, scowling a little in Chekov’s direction. “Uhura is on her way to fix Communications. Have you found anything about who could have planted that device?”

“Negative,” Spock said, feeling a stab of inadequacy, and sympathy for the overworked Communications Officer. “It continues to grow, and yet we do not know its purpose.”

“Do you think it could have something to do with our Communications going down?”

“Unclear, as the last time a device was planted for that purpose, it took the form of a scrambler.”

Kirk nodded, taking another piece of candy out of the bag and chewing on it thoughtfully.

“Why would they go through the trouble of planting a device like that just to take out communications, when they have used a much more effective method in the past?”

“Perhaps we should question Ms. Smith on the subject,” the Vulcan suggested.

Kirk shook his head.

“She’s sticking to her ignorance story...perhaps a meld?”

Spock shook his head.

“Romulans have lost the art of controlling their telepathy, but the mechanics remain….Attempting a meld with her would be dangerous for all three of us.”

Kirk sighed.

“I’m out of ideas.”

Spock brushed his fingers through the golden locks, tidying up the mess of hair.  “I have nearly completed my work with the security footage. Allow me to relieve you so that you may take a short rest.”

Jim thought about it and then nodded.

“Alright, Mr. Spock.”

 

*39*

 

Jim walked down the corridor towards their quarters, clutching his bag of sweets and another small box of buttery treats he had taken from the galley on his way. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone else walking down the hallway. He looked at his crewman, whom he recognized as Ensign Garrovick, and greeted him politely, as he always did his crewman, before turning towards his door.

The younger man seemed to pick up his pace, and a second later was standing close beside the Captain.

Jim turned to give the younger man the attention he obviously needed, and wondered what kind of bad news the boy must bear in order for him to have sought Kirk out in his quarters to deliver.

In person….God what now?

“What is it, Ensign?” he asked, trying to seem confident.

The younger man opened his mouth, his blue eyes glistening, then shut it again, blushing, seeming to catch his breath.

Kirk felt his eyebrows come together.

“Is everything alright?”

“Do-” Garrovick’s voice came out as a croak. He cleared his throat nervously. “Do you only prefer older men?”

Jim blinked and felt himself clutching his treats closer to his body. He had no idea what to say.

“Excuse me?”

“Is Mr. Spock enough for you?”

The younger man’s voice was shaky, as though his heart was beating so hard that his whole body was shaking.

“You should report to sickbay, Ensign,” the Captain said, his voice firm.

But the younger man’s eyes were fixed on Kirk’s as he lifted his hand to brush Jim’s cheek softly. Jim wondered vaguely if this was how Spock felt when Sienae had decided to make her move...the same gesture...the same question….

The young man had to be infected.  

Kirk pulled away, wanting to get into his quarters, but suspecting that Garrovick would follow him if he did.

“Report to Sickbay, Ensign,” Jim repeated. “You’re displaying irrational behavior.”

He was surprised when he felt anger boiling inside of him...until he realised that it wasn’t his own. Kirk’s eyes searched the hall and found the tall Vulcan standing at the end of it, fury radiating through their bond, but his face was cold and alien.

Ensign Garrovick followed Kirk’s gaze and blanched when he saw Spock, who was now striding with purpose in their direction. The Captain could not read his husband’s intent through their bond, and was flooded with several emotions all at once: worry that Spock didn’t know that the Ensign was infected, and would do something rash, confused as to why Spock’s possessive behavior was turning him on, and angry that he was put in this position to begin with.

In a blink, the Vulcan was looming over the two human men, his hands behind his back, his broad shoulders squared. Jim got a giddy feeling when he saw how the alien muscles seemed to bulge under the older man’s uniform, and he was reminded of how strong his bondmate was. He’d felt the power of those muscles….

Both in battle and in the bedroom.

“The Captain is off duty,” Spock’s voice was blank and robotic, a sure sign that he was struggling to keep control.

It reminded Jim affectionately of when Spock had tried to tell him about Pon Farr.

“You may report to me.”

“Of course, Commander Spock,” the young man said meekly, shrinking under the gaze of the obviously dominant male.

“Do not approach the Captain when the two of you are alone ever again,” Spock all but growled.

Both of the humans were looking at him now with some confusion.

Is he serious?

“As a matter of fact, you should avoid all contact with him altogether-”

“But he’s the Captain, sir!”

“I’m the Captain!”

Both men spoke simultaneously in protest.

“That’s all, Ensign. Report to Sickbay as your Captain ordered.”

The younger man fled down the hallway leaving the spouses in front of their door, alone.

“What’s gotten into you?” Jim hissed. “He’s obviously infected, he doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

Spock cupped his face and kissed him deeply, silencing all of his mate’s arguments.

“I think we’re both compromised,” Kirk said absently as the Vulcan pushed Kirk against their doors, his taller body caging him where he was.

He pushed his tongue into the human’s mouth, making him melt into the taller man. They were pressed so tightly together that Kirk could feel the treats crushing between them.

He pulled away reluctantly and gasped when the Vulcan slipped his hand into his hair and crushed their mouths together again.

“Mmmmph…” Jim protested weakly, but returned the fervent kiss.

They parted to catch their breath.

“Not here... “ the Captain whispered, his voice quivering.  

 

**40**

 

Spock pushed the younger man into their quarters.

The hot Vulcan body crowded the smaller one against the wall so that Kirk’s hands and chest were pressed against the hull, and held him in place as he fumbled with his Captain’s pants. Spock groaned as he pulled them down, exposing that perfect ass.

Spock nipped Jim’s neck and the younger man trembled, his breath hot against the wall of their quarters. The taller man slipped his hands up along Kirk’s arms, finally letting them rest on top of Jim’s against the wall. The Vulcan quickly pulled his belt apart, impatiently undoing his pants and pulling his large cock out.

In his haze, Kirk was surprised that his husband, who was usually such a overly careful lover, was already pressing against his opening with no foreplay to speak of. But Jim was craving it...he needed Spock inside of him...wanted it raw...he could take it.

Spock slid in with almost no resistance, letting out a groan at the pleasure of being inside of his mate. Kirk let out a delighted cry, his cock painfully hard pressed between his own body and the wall. Spock felt...different...his lubricant was thicker, and more slick...and his dick felt huge.  

The Vulcan began pumping into him. It was hard, and purposeful, and it felt so good.

The human couldn’t make any words, couldn’t make any thoughts. His mind was melting with how much relief he was feeling at being filled by his lover. He pushed back as much as he could considering their position and how restrained he was. His mind was focused on was the hardness of the wall, the heat of the alien body surrounding him, the tightness of the large member inside of him, and his husband’s harsh breathing in his ear, puffing with every thrust.

Kirk didn’t last long before he came all over himself and the hull, his body tightening and then relaxing at the sudden, divine release.

The scent of his orgasm hit the Vulcan’s nostrils and he moaned with delight in the younger man’s ear. He pounded him harder and faster until, twenty seconds later, he came deep inside of his mate.

The Vulcan held his lover there for a moment, both of them breathing heavily, the younger man leaning back into his husband. Spock buried his nose into the blond hair as he tried to catch his breath.

“I love you,” Spock murmured into it, his hand over Jim’s heart, feeling the fluttering of it beneath his palm.

The human let out a panting little chuckle, euphoric after such fantastic sex.

“Such a romantic...declarations of love after...fucking me against the wall…”

But he turned his head and kissed the older man on the lips, putting all of the love and passion into it as he could muster in his post-sex state.

“I love you, Spock.”

They stood there for a little while longer, their bodies cooling down, their breathing settling into their normal rhythm.

Spock pulled out and used some tissues to clean Jim up. He considered using a wet rag...but something inside of him was irked by the idea. He took a moment to investigate the thought and then realised that he wanted to be able to smell himself on his mate for the rest of the night.

 

The First Officer, feeling much more energetic after their encounter, finished looking through the surveillance cameras, while Jim returned to the Bridge, also feeling much more clear headed...he didn’t even mind Chekov and Riley were trying to outdo one another by singing folk songs from their respective home countries...poorly...and loud.

Kirk watched the dwindling crew, that was probably infected, but still functional, and was grateful that they were, at least, a happy crew. It was only eighteen hours to go before they’d reach Ame...and then all of this would be behind him….

 

*41*

 

When Jim stepped into sickbay the next day, he was stunned by the silence that greeted him. He glanced over at the beds and felt a chill go up his spine when he saw that there were patients...but they were all curled up on their sides like Smith had been a week before...shivering, their faces clammy. They all seemed to be asleep.

The only one who appeared to be awake, and alert was Nurse Chapel, who had a PADD in one hand and was typing something into the computer with the other. Kirk greeted her and she responded with a weary smile. She wasn’t shivering like the rest of the patients, Jim noticed.

“Status?” he asked quietly, trying not to disturb the silence.

“The doctor has administered a vaccine to all of those who have shone symptoms of infection,” she responded in an equally low voice.

Kirk’s heart leapt.

“That’s fantastic news,” he said, looking Christine over. “Have you also been vaccinated?”

Nurse Chapel looked at him, confused.

“I’m not infected, Captain,” she said, her eyes going back to the task at hand.

He could feel worry settling at the pit of his stomach as he remembered how she had treated her friend, and the doctor the day before, and wondered if perhaps Dr. Restel had been sensible enough to slip the cure to her in some other way.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She put the PADD that she had been working on down on a stack to her right and then took another from the stack to her left.

“I’m taking inventory of all of the PADD’s that we’ve had to confiscate while their owners are out of service.”

“That hardly seems like a job for the medical staff,” he commented, pulling a PADD from the top of the stack and observing it.

She snorted softly, gently pulling the screen from his grasp so she could log it in.

“Yeah, well, someone’s gotta pick up the slack while most of the crew is medically unfit for duty.”

He nodded in agreement and a thought occurred to him in such a rush, it almost made him dizzy.

“Would you mind giving me Mr. Scott’s PADD once you’re done logging it?” he asked.

“Of course, Captain,” Christine said. She began to rummage through the tablets, and then glanced up, focusing on something behind him.  

“Oh, hello, Captain,” said a voice.

He turned to see Marissa Sapri, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her green eyes filled with exhaustion and worry.

“Hello, doctor,” he responded softly.

She smiled and then made eye contact with Nurse Chapel.

“May I see them?” she asked, her face pleading, but her voice steady, and polite as always.

“I’m sorry, doctor. They’re in quarantine,” Christine replied, looking at her with sympathy in her eyes.

Marissa nodded daintily and shuffled her feet a little, but didn’t leave.

“But...I was told that Sienae was no longer displaying symptoms…”

“She is still under observation...and technically still in the Brig. She can’t receive visitors at the moment, I’m sorry-”

The Doctor’s Office doors slid opened and Dr. Restel stepped into sickbay.

“Captain,” the older man said happily, handing a PADD to Nurse Chapel who took it with a hint of annoyance. His green eyes moved to Marissa.

“Doctor,” he greeted the younger woman.

Marissa’s eyes were fixed on the older man, her face still as stone.

“Uhhh...Doctor,” she said, her voice soft, and pleasant as always. “I wasn’t ...I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

A little smile quirked on the older man’s lips, something passing over his green eyes so quickly Jim couldn’t identify it. Arthur Restel seemed to puff up, putting his hands on his hips.

“Well I am the acting CMO until McCoy gets well, so where else would I be?”

“You know Dr. Restel?” Kirk asked, trying to keep things light after the undeniable sharpness in the older man’s voice.

Dr. Sapri blinked and seemed to check herself, drawing a polite smile to her expression.

“Dr. Restel…” her eyes seemed to be looking far off. “Of course...I’ve been in here a few times trying to see Sienae and Leonard.”

She turned her attention back to Dr. Restel with renewed manners.

“I was hoping that you would be helping my friends. You told me that you’d have them ready for visitors by now, and the kind Nurse here is telling me that they have not yet been cleared.”

“All in good time, Dr. Sapri,” the man responded, leaning against the Nurse’s desk and directing his attention to his medical PADD in a rather rude display of dismissal.

Kirk felt his brow furrow, but said nothing as he watched the young brunette give the doctor a disapproving once over. Her back straightened slightly and she gave the man a little smile that he didn’t deserve.

“Well I shaint take up any more of your time. Good day, Doctor. Please keep me notified if there are any changes,” she looked at Jim, her green eyes warm. “I’ll see you around the ship, Captain. We can have lunch...with all of this sickness running around, I don’t have many friends left.”

“I’m sorry for all of this trouble...I know this isn’t what you signed up for,” Jim said, offering her a smile of his own.

“It’s no trouble. I could have gone with the Admiral, but I couldn’t leave Sienae this way…”

She seemed to think for a moment, then she said “Captain...I know you have...ideas about her...but I can tell you that she’s a good person. She would have never acted like that of her own free will.”

Kirk said nothing. She was right, he did have thoughts about Ms. Smith...but at the moment, they were mixed.

“We’ll be arriving on Ame soon, Pyua informed me,” the young woman said, changing the subject.

“Perhaps I’ll be able to see those flowers in action.”

She smiled genuinely now, and he could see the strain around her lovely eyes and lips that were parted slightly. The poor woman must not have slept for some time while she worried about her best friend...and his.

“I hope it proves to be boring and productive,” Jim said.

She chuckled softly as she left Sickbay.

Kirk glanced over at Dr. Restel after the doors had slid closed.

He was surprised to find the older man leaning casually against Nurse Chapel’s desk, admiring his own nails with scrutiny.

Almost as though he could feel Kirk’s eyes on him, the doctor rose his own to meet them...a smirk coming across his lips..something self-satisfied...a familiar smugness which tugged at something in the back of Jim’s mind.

And when the doctor said “Like what you see, Captain?” a memory came loose, and floated the surface of his thoughts.

 

Jim set a mug of coffee beside her, but she didn’t even look at him. She was angry at him for whatever reason this time, and ignored him as she continued to groom her nails, her blue eyes focused. He went to get some milk out of the fridge just to find it empty.

He had just bought milk...someone must have dumped it-

He glanced over at the head clad in brown hair, bent over her endeavor. The woman turned to look at him now, a smug smile on her face.

Jim came and sat down beside her, and she observed her nails, the tiny smirk remaining.

He stared until she finally rolled her eyes and said “Like what you see, Captain?”

 

“How long do you think it will take for the vaccine to get my crew back in action?” he asked, keeping his face impassive.

Why had that memory suddenly surfaced?

Why her?

“Shouldn’t be long now,” the Doctor said, his smile bright, but not reaching his eyes.  

“That’s not an answer, Doctor,” Kirk retorted, trying to keep his voice civil.

“Well that’s the answer you’re getting,” the doctor snapped back petulantly.

Jim opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a voice.

“Bridge to Keptin Kirk.”

The Captain gave the doctor a look before attending to the hail.

“What is it, Chekov?” he asked, his eyes remaining on Christine, and Dr. Restel.

“Vi vill be arriving at Ame in one hour sir.”

Kirk’s heart leapt in his chest, but a feeling of worry seeped into the front of his mind when he heard Riley in the background giggling hysterically.

“That’s ahead of schedule,” the Captain said, keeping his voice even.

“We went through an asteroid field!” he heard Riley blurt into the ‘com as though he just couldn’t hold his excitement back any longer.

Kirk felt himself go cold.

“You put the lives of 430 crewmembers at risk without even consulting me first?”

Jim knew that his voice was raised, and could feel the eyes of the only two conscious people in the room on him.

“Vi vanted to know if ve could do it,” Chekov responded, as though this was the most rational explanation in the world. “Vi knew you’d say no.”

Kirk’s eyes drifted shut against crash of thoughts that all came rushing to the surface...and the emotion of incredible frustration. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes with the intention of giving the navigator a piece of his mind, when he was suddenly struck with a familiar dizziness.

“I’ll deal with you later,” he bit out before cutting the line with a forceful push of the button.

He glanced over at the two medical officers who stared at him as he stepped out of Sickbay…

 

And stepped onto a strange platform. He was standing beside a large monolith the color of rusted metal. Strange symbols were carved on the sides of it. There was a trap door that was open at its base, and crewmembers were carrying equipment in and out of the small space.

Spock was observing the language with a couple of other Science Officers, speaking into his thumb recorder all the while. Kirk smiled...he could feel through their connection how fascinated his husband was with the new language...something that could bring them closer to the Preservers who had built the monolith and had protected the inhabitants.

“You alright, Jim?” McCoy asked, running his medical scanner over the nasty cut the younger man had earned himself when he had accidentally fallen through the trap door.

Kirk had landed so hard, he had been knocked unconscious. Thankfully, Spock felt the impact immediately and was back on the planet in a matter of minutes to recover his fallen mate.

“I’m fine,” Jim said, taking a deep breath of the beautiful, fresh air. “This place is gorgeous...you think we’re due for a shore leave, Bones?”

McCoy smiled and brought his scanner down.

“I’ll get back to you on that one,” he said, turning to attend to a redshirt who had tried to pick poison ivy.

Kirk took in the natural surroundings... the air was so nice after being on a ship for so long...the sight of green trees and sparkling blue water made him want to set up camp right there. He bent down to observe a little yellow flower that was growing near the base of the monolith when he saw a pair of small yellow eyes peering at him from under the bush. When he looked more closely, he saw that it was a small orange kitten. He felt a smile spread on his lips.

“Well, hello there,” he said, reaching out.

The little animal spit angrily and lashed a tiny, razored paw, leaving two angry scratches on the back of Jim’s hand. He frowned at them, rubbing it lightly, but kept his eyes on the kitten.

“You must be hungry,” he said softly. “Maybe I can bring you some milk-”

He felt a warm presence and relaxed as the tall figure hunched down beside him, their shoulders brushing affectionately. Jim couldn’t help but lean in to the Vulcan strength.

Spock took Jim’s hand carefully in his, observing the scratches.

He laced their fingers together and he brought the hand up in a tiny kiss that made Kirk blush, and his heart make a gleeful jump.

“May I try, Captain?” Spock asked, rubbing a thumb gently over the wound.

“Hm?” Jim was so enraptured in their little world that he had forgotten what they were talking about. “Oh, the cat...yes of course.”

The corner of the Vulcan’s mouth twitched into a small smile before he turned his attention to the angry critter under the bush.

He let Jim’s hand go and reached out for the furious feline. Kirk had to suppress the urge to grab his husband’s hand to keep him from getting injured, but refrained. He trusted his mate.

And he was right in doing so, as the Vulcan scooped the tiny animal up into his arms, petting its fur softly.

Jim could feel the goofy smile on his own face.

It wasn’t often that he got to see his bondmate with a pet...Spock always seemed so human when confronted with small, furry things.

The orange kitten was already asleep in his arms when they both pulled themselves to their full height.

Kirk stroked the soft fur...if only they’d had a cat when the Tribble infestation had happened….

“Did you figure out what opened that trap door?” Jim asked, his fingers still caressing the sleeping creature in Spock’s arms.

“We believe that it was the sound of you answering your communicator. It was set to respond at exactly this time and to that exact sound frequency.”

Spock reached up his hand and brushed his finger over the wound on Jim’s head, as though stroking a hair out of his face-

 

Jim blinked and he was back in the hallway, staring into beloved dark brown eyes. Spock had found him standing there and was brushing his fingers over his psi points...almost caressing them. Kirk could feel a burning through their bond.

“It was happening again,” the Vulcan said, his deep voice soft. Jim nodded, tilting his head into Spock’s hand. “Are you well?”

Kirk nodded, but his eyes were on his husband’s lips. He slid his hand up his husband’s arm until their fingers touched...he could feel the electricity flowing through them both and watched his mate’s lips part.

Spock could feel his dick harden in his pants as his husband brought the Vulcan’s slender fingers to his mouth and flick his tongue out to taste the tip.

“Jim,” Spock’s voice was gravely. “Do not...tease….”

The last word was barely a breath as the human took the finger into his mouth and sucked. Jim didn’t know what suddenly kicked his libido into overdrive...he always found his Bondmate irresistibly scrumptious...but there was a fire running through their bond...though their bodies.

Spock crowded Kirk’s space, his eyes dark and predatory, until the younger man could feel the wall against his back. The Vulcan didn’t stop until their bodies were pressed together, their breaths mingling, their noses nearly touching.

The taller man nipped softly at his love’s lower lip, and Jim’s heart was fluttering in his chest like a rabbit.

“Spock,” his voice was quivering. “Please-”

The older man pressed his leg between Kirk’s, brushing maddeningly against the prominent bulge in Jim’s pants. The Captain gave out a whimper, clutching to his husband’s biceps to steady himself.

“Spock-”

But the Vulcan was already covering Jim’s mouth with his own, slipping his tongue into his mouth.

Kirk shut his eyes, letting out a breath and surrendering to the deep embrace. They made out against the wall….Everything was so hot...Jim just wanted to go back to their quarters and take off their clothes…

“Fuck, Spock, I want you so bad,” Kirk breathed against the Vulcan’s lips before they were taken again.

The taller man moaned a little, slipping his fingers into the amber blonde hair.

“Ahem.”

Jim turned his head so he could see the intruder, frowning when he saw Dr. Restel standing there...green eyes blazing with something that looked like fury.

Spock didn’t help matters, as he seemed to have tossed professionalism to the wind and was now placing wet kisses on  Jim’s neck.

Kirk blinked and horror dawned on him.

How had he allowed this to go so far while they were both on duty...in the hallway…. ?

“Doctor,” Kirk greeted, gently pushing his husband away.

Spock seemed somewhat in a daze, but respectfully removed himself from his husband’s body.

“Captain,” the doctor nearly spat, his eyes angry green flints. “I was just on my way to see you. I have the PADD you requested from Nurse Chapel, but she didn’t have the password, I’m afraid.”

Spock’s eyes seeming to have cleared, but he stayed closer Kirk than necessary...almost in front of him, as if to block him from the obviously disgruntled doctor’s view...he seemed to tower over the older man.

He felt the desire burn inside of him all over again, and he licked his bottom lip.

What is wrong with me?

The Vulcan took the tablet from the doctor’s hand before Jim could, and touched the screen to observe it. Satisfied, he put the screen under his arm.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Pleasure,” the doctor said, eyeing the two other men distastefully before walking back into sickbay.

Spock handed the PADD to Kirk, who glanced at his mate in amusement.

“Well that was awkward,” Jim said, looking at the screen with interest.

“What did you need this for, Captain?” Spock asked, his hand resting on Jim’s hip, his fingertips fiddling with the fabric as he looked over his mate’s shoulder.

“I’m not sure,” Kirk responded absently, tapping on the screen and staring at the picture behind the pincode. It was a photo of Scotty and Uhura standing in front of the Hrechite Museum of Science and Engineering..the same place that he and Spock had gone.

He smiled fondly at their image. Scotty was tipping Nyota back, and she had her hand up in a mock swoon. He felt the Vulcan’s amusement through their bond and leaned into the strong figure again.

“Is this invading their privacy?” Jim asked quietly.

“If Mr. Scott did not want anyone to see it, then he should not have made it his lock screen,” Spock replied in a matter of fact sort of way.

The human grinned.

He and his brother had used similar arguments when they were kids.

“Well if you didn’t want me to steal your candy bar, then you should have hidden it somewhere I can’t find it!”

“That’s logical,” Jim nodded definitively.

Spock gave his love handle a little squeeze causing the younger man to bite his lower lip.

“Not right now, mister. We’re landing on Ame in less than an hour. You’re going to need your kit.”

“It is in our quarters,” Spock said, leaning his forehead against Jim’s hair, taking in his scent.

“Alright,” Kirk said.

Trying to keep his head while his husband was so close to him was starting to become harder and harder these past few days….He didn’t know if it was because they hadn’t been able to spend time together, or if it was because he was so damn tired from all of this insanity...but he needed Spock...needed him in a way that he wasn’t used to. “You go get your kit...I’ll inform Sulu that he’ll be in charge of the Bridge while we’re away...and promise him and Uhura some serious time off after all of this.”

Jim felt Spock press a kiss into his hair.

“Jim…”

The Captain leaned into his First Officer, enjoying the heat that rolled off of the strong, lean body.

“Hmmm?”

“You have expressed a desire for a shower...perhaps you should accompany me to our quarters first…to bathe….”

Kirk could feel his breath catch at the idea.

He knew he should have said no...but he found that he didn’t want to.

“A quick shower,” Jim said, turning to his husband, kissing him softly on the lips. “It will be quicker if you’re there, I think...to help.”

“I shall escort you,” he said, sliding his hand from his human’s hip to the small of his back, guiding him towards the ‘lift.

“Captain!”

A voice came from behind them and Jim could feel his Bondmate’s immediate frustration shoot through their bond at the interruption.

They both turned to see who was disrupting them, and Kirk felt the irritation turn to near rage when they both laid eyes on Ensign Garrovick, who had his eyes set on the Captain hopefully.

“You were ordered to report to sickbay,” Spock said, stepping in front of Jim protectively.

“What is it, Ensign?” the Captain asked, sending reassurance through their bond.

“We’ve just opened it the cargo that was unaccounted for...I thought you’d want to know what was inside.”

“And?”

“Well..there’s nothing in it the first one, sir...but there’s something else...something I think you’d better see….”

Jim sighed and looked at Spock.

“I’d better take care of this.”

Spock’s eyes were on the Ensign though, filled with mistrust.

“That won’t be necessary, Captain. You retrieve my Science kit from our quarters, and I shall join you in the transporter room once we’ve reached Ame.”

“But, Mr. Spock-” the Ensign tried to protest, but the Vulcan gave him a look that shut him up. “Yes, of course. Come with me.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Jim said, smiling at his lover before the taller man planted a kiss on the younger man’s lips. The human knew that it was a claim being made for the benefit of the Ensign...but wasn’t bothered by it.

He watched the other two leave, the Ensign looking over his shoulder a few times to look at Kirk before they disappeared around the corner.

 

*42*

 

Spock followed the young Ensign, keeping his back straight, trying to keep his control. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this younger man was trying to challenge him for the Vulcan’s rightful mate...some part of his brain was on overdrive, and with all of the chaos on the ship, he hadn’t found the opportunity to meditate on these feelings.

They passed Plava’s twin brother, Zlato, on the way into the cargo hold. The tall Hrechite looked down at him with a curious look in his eyes before he continued walking.

“Here it is,” the Ensign said. But the introduction was unnecessary.

Spock stared at the container before him in amazement.

It was enormous...as large as a gateway.

Though it  wasn’t the largest thing in the cargo hold, it was large enough that it would have been hard to miss.

“You said that it is empty,” Spock stated.

“Yes, sir.”

“What did you need the Captain to see?” he demanded.

The Ensign nodded and motioned for the Science Officer to follow him.

They stopped when they came to a long, rectangular metal box with a note magnetized to it.

Spock touched it, and blinked at the face that appeared before him.

“Jim…” the voice said.

 

*43*

 

Jim fluffed the pillows on their bed once more before grabbing his husband’s kit from the desk, wrapping it around himself before heading back out into the hallway.

He smiled at Uhura who was heading back to her own quarters looking exhausted, but functional, as usual.

“Getting some shut-eye?” Kirk asked.

“Yes sir...now that we’ve arrived to Ame, I can afford a minute of rest.”  
“Your hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Jim reassured her, thinking of everything she must be going through...working with no rest...her...friend in the Med Brig...her best friend infected.

She nodded.

“I’m expecting a raise,” she said, narrowing her eyes playfully.

“It’s a deal,” he said with a warm smile.

She went to her quarters, and Jim made his way to the Turbolift.

When he arrived, he leaned his head back against the wall.

It’s almost over….

This whole Hellish nightmare was almost over.

He wasn’t alone for long before he stopped and the doors opened for another potential passenger.

Marissa Sapri stepped on the ‘lift and shifted to stand beside him after giving him a polite, but tired smile.

“Where to?” Jim asked.

“Transporter room,” she said, her voice soft, as always. “Same as you, I presume?”

“Indeed...we’re finally here and can put an end to all of this madness.”

Jim’s communicator chirped on his belt and he pulled it out, flipping it open.

 

Jim was looking at the green, metal monolith...its carvings so close he could nearly touch it.

“Kirk to Enterprise…”

Suddenly he was falling...the door having opened under his feet.

Jim!

Said Spock’s voice in his mind.

 

“Captain!”

Dr. Sapri was bent over him now.

He blinked a few times to clear his vision. Marissa had a hand on his arm to keep him steady.

Jim regained his footing and saw his communicator on the floor...shattered to pieces.

Had he dropped it when he’d had his vision?

His eyes went to Dr. Sapri’s bright, green ones. Her brow was furrowed, her mouth contorted with worry.

“What was that?” she asked. “Are you alright?”

Jim blinked at her...uneasiness creeping into his mind...something about his conversation with Lieutenant Smith...but in his distress, he couldn’t remember what it was.

Jim...you need to get back here immediately.

There was worry in Spock’s voice...something bordering on panic.

Jim.

“Are you talking to him right now?” Marissa asked, her voice warm and comforting, her green eyes looking Jim over. “Leonard told me that you could do that...or that he could anyway.”

Kirk swallowed hard and the Turbolift stopped.

“Can you?” she asked again, looking desperately curious.

“Why were you coming to the transporter room, Doctor?” Jim asked her.

The doors opened to reveal the Transporter room where Lieutenant Zlato was standing, holding the limp body of Dr. Usui over his shoulder.

Kirk’s heart leapt before he felt the sting of the hypo in his neck.

He only had time to hear “Nothing personal, Captain,” before he sank into darkness.

 

*44*

 

Spock hurried onto the Bridge.

He had felt the darkness on the other side of the bond...his worst nightmares coming true.

The Vulcan’s attempts to shield the panic that was rising in his heart, was proving to be almost useless.

When Spock had felt the bond go quiet on the other side, fear and anger had risen immediately. Illogically, he blamed Ensign Garrovick for keeping him from his Bondmate, and he had needed to gather his strength to not strangle the younger man.

 

“Commander! There’s been an unauthorised transport to the planet’s surface!” Lieutenant Siliana said the moment he arrived.

Spock slipped into the Chair, focusing his mind on the task at hand.

Jim was alive, and in order to keep it that way, he was going to have to remain focused. His mind kept going back to the recording that had been on the metal container...the sharp, feminine features...brown hair, and cold blue eyes.

He had never seen her before...but something about how she spoke to Jim...with such familiarity.

“Jim...this message is for you, and you only.”

Spock looked around and realised that there were only three people on the Bridge: Communications Officer Siliana, Helmsman Sulu, and himself.

He would have to make do.

“How many transported, Lieutenant?” asked the First Officer.

“Four,” she shot back.

“What are the coordinates?”

“They’re 430 mark 12-”

The lights went out.

“What happened?” Siliana’s voice was steady, but low.

“I don’t know,” Spock said, purposely keeping his voice at a normal level. He pressed the ‘com.

“Bridge to Engineering.”

But the ‘com wasn’t working.

“What do we do, sir?”

It was Sulu’s voice...calm and steady.

“Lieutenant Siliana, send a message to Starfleet.”

“Communications is down, sir,” she responded, sounding a little choked. “And it’s starting to get cold.”

She was right.

The temperature was decreasing by the second.

 

*45*

 

Kirk’s eyelids felt like they had weights on every lash as he tried to lift them. It took a few tries to get his eyes to stay open….

He just wanted to sleep…it was so warm where he was...warm and the air smelled so good.

Jim forced his eyes open again, trying to find something to focus on.

When his eyes finally adjusted, they had landed on the giant patch of glittering pink flowers.

We made it. He thought sluggishly.

Kirk tried to move, but found it infinitely harder than when he had tried to open his eyes, so settled on letting his vision wander while he regained his strength. His roving stopped on the stone wall that seemed to stand like an enormous closed gate, free standing in the middle of the cave. It hadn’t been there the last time he had seen the interior of this place...but it looked familiar nonetheless.

It was a large stone slab that seemed to be divided into two by a straight carved line down the middle. There were symbols carved all over it...and there was a stone ledge protruding from the bottom, like a step.

His brain tried to make the connection, but failed, his thoughts still swimming.  

Suddenly, two black boots stepped into his line of vision.

“Welcome back, Captain.”

Marissa knelt beside him and looked him over carefully.

“I haven’t injured you, have I?”

“What the Hell, Doctor?” he managed to croak, making another attempt to get up. He was getting stronger, but she placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

“Please stay down. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

He spotted the unconscious body of Dr. Usui lying on her side not far from him.

“What did you do to her?” he demanded weakly, trying not to slur his speech.

“That oaf gave her too much tranquilizer,” the young woman said conversationally. “She’s smaller than you are, so it’s taking her a bit longer to come around.”

Seeming satisfied that he was unharmed, Sapri went and sat on the ledge of the stone slab, crossing her legs and picking up a PADD he hadn’t noticed was sitting there. She glanced at him before her eyes went back to the screen. She looked comfortable...almost like she was getting her hair done at an old-fashioned salon.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” she said, sounding regretful. “But I’ve turned off the power on your ship.”

Kirk’s heartbeat spiked.

“What? Why?”

She looked at him with big green eyes.

“It’s the only way, really...I had to go outside to do it though...this place really messes with my devices.”

Before he could ask her to elaborate, an enormous figure stepped into his line of vision, and he recognized Zlato, who was carrying a heavy boulder towards the mouth of the cave.

Jim noticed a pile of other large rocks piled there, and induced that Zlato had been at it for awhile.

“You are so resilient, Captain. I admire you,” she continued. “I really wish I could take you for myself...but I’ve made a deal, I’m afraid...and my...colleague has already made a claim on you.”

“What colleague?” he asked, his head clearing more and more as whatever drug she had given him was burning away.  

“I’m sorry, that information is classified,” she said, touching the screen of her PADD delicately.

“What are you planning? Is your colleague Dr. Kabakai?” he demanded.

Her green eyes went from the screen to him, her brow furrowed.

“Don’t be mistaken, Captain. I’m not the villain here.”

“No? Working with Dr. Kabakai? That murderer? That’s not being a villain?”

A thought suddenly occurred to him...his conversation with the Commodore on Hrech….

“He keeps his nose clean by having his minions work for him...one who is currently working on your ship, I might add.”

“It was you the Commodore was trying to warn me about! You were the one who stole this machine from Hrech! You were the one in the surveillance photo!”

She looked at him thoughtfully.

“The Commodore...warned you about me?”

Jim swallowed hard when he realised what he had done. The drugs were still impairing his judgement.

I should have just kept quiet….

“And he has a picture of me...from the surveillance cameras on Hrech?” she was looking right at him, but her mind seemed to be miles away. “I was told those cameras had all been taken out….That sneaky…” she clicked her tongue and focused on him again, as though they were having a regular conversation over lunch. “Well. That just won’t do.”

Zlato trudged past them again, carrying another large rock to his pile.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the slight figure of Dr. Usui stir.  

“You’ve just realised it...haven’t you?” Kirk said, his eyes focused on Marissa, while his mind focused on the strength returning to his body.  “That he’s using you?”

She blinked her big eyes at him, but stayed quiet.

“He’s using you just like he used Commodore Daniels. Just like he used Anita Bruke, and Sienae Smith.”

“You really are resilient...I admire you so much, Kirk. Not just for your body and your status, like my colleague does, but because of who you are.”

She was looking at him like he was the most interesting person she had ever met, and he felt himself squirm under her gaze.

He tried not to let his eyes flicker to the Ametian, who he could feel was looking at him now with big jeweled eyes.

“Were you the one who spread that disease to my crew?” Jim pried, as he subtly wiggled his toes.

He needed to keep her occupied...he was regaining his strength and Usui was awake.

“Starting with McCoy?” he said, his voice rising. “You used him?”

She sighed and leaned against the stone slab, making herself more comfortable as the tall Hrechite slowly made his way across their vision, again, carrying a huge rock.

“What did he promise you? Who did he say he was going to save?”

Her already soft eyes became dewey.

Pyua was inching her way imperceptibly towards something laying on the ground between them.

“My daughter.”

Jim’s heart ached. Something in her eyes...was so vulnerable.

“She has a disease...Muudakh...the same as Commodore Daniels’s son.”

Good...keep her talking.

“We can help you...you don’t have to do all of this. The Ametians have allowed us to take as many of the flowers as we need for cures!”

Kirk realised what the Ametian was headed for…

Spock’s science kit.

“I’m not after the flowers, Kirk,” she said quietly. “I’m after something else that’s in this cave...something stronger.”

“Starfleet can help you! We have some of the best scientists-”

“Ones who play by the rules?” she inquired, her eyebrows rising. “You don’t understand, Captain. Haven’t you wondered why you’ve been unable to replicate these glorious flowers?”

Usui was reaching out now, catching the strap of the bag on her fingertips.  

“It’s because of the water here...in this hollow rock, there is a spring. The tears from their Goddess...it can turn you into a God.”

“Really?” Jim asked “you read that in a fairy tale somewhere?”

He kept his eyes locked with hers, but out of the corner of his eye he could see the Science kit slowly dragging along the floor.

“We were looking for it when we were here last...trying to find this place. We scoured the land looking for it. Once I get my hands on it, I’ll be the strongest person in the universe. I suppose I should thank you, Captain...for finding it.”

Usui’s hand was slipping quietly into the Science kit.

“Tell me where Dr. Kabakai is, Marissa….You can have your water, just let my crew go and tell me where he is. He needs to be brought to justice.”

She looked at him like what he was saying was hopeless.

“My daughter needs to be saved, Captain.”

Usui’s hand shifted in the bag, not making a sound.

He wanted to urge her to hurry up, but he had to keep going.

“We can save her.”

She shook her head.

“My colleague has her...I don’t know where. I have to make a delivery before I can get her back.”

Where is that phaser?

“And that delivery is you, Captain.”

Her eyes shot over to Usui who froze where she lay, her hand still deep in the science kit.

“You can stop looking,” Marissa said, almost apologetically, and pulling something out from behind her back.

Kirk’s heart dropped when he saw the phaser they had been looking for.

“I assume you have both regained your strength” she said, standing.

Jim and Usui glanced at each other.

“There’s no use pretending,” she pointed the phaser at Usui’s head, but her eyes were still fixed on Jim. “Get up, both of you.”

 

*46*

 

“I don’t understand,” Sulu said at Spock’s right. “If they wanted to kill us, why didn’t they just turn off the air supply?”

“Can’t we just be grateful that they didn’t?” Siliana said from Spock’s left.

They had decided to huddle under the Communications station...a place that could trap heat while the Vulcan tried to come up with a better idea. He had his eyes closed against the darkness, his mind focusing on the bond. Jim was awake on the other side, he could tell...and he was well.

Spock opened his eyes again and tapped the screen of Scotty’s PADD, the image of him and Uhura casting a light over his face.

Why had Jim wanted this?

Right now, with the effects of the Denbora fruit still in Jim’s system, no act could simply be deemed coincidence.

He wished that he could ask...wished there was some way to contact him….

If only he knew the password.

If only he could open it...maybe there would be something there that could help him to understand.

He had already tried Mr. Scott’s birthday, and Lieutenant Uhura’s.

Spock frowned at the picture before turning it off again. He had done this every few minutes, to no avail.

“You think it’s that device they found in the Transporter room...that shut everything down like this?” Sulu asked, shivering.

“That is the most probable theory,” Spock responded.

Siliana said nothing, and the Vulcan reached out to shake her a little.

There was a sharp intake of breath in the darkness, and he knew that he had woken her once again.

They wouldn’t last long in this condition...and Spock wondered how the rest of the crew was faring. It was dark and quiet...and it felt more like space than it ever really had before.

Jim...why did you need Scotty’s PADD?

He sent the thought out...maybe they could find a way to communicate….

Spock heard a familiar little bleep.

“Hello?”

The two humans at Spock’s sides stirred abruptly.

“Did you hear that, or am I hallucinating?” Siliana asked, her voice thick with exhaustion.

“No, I heard that too,” Sulu said.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Spock realized that it was coming from his belt. He grasped at it, feeling the keychain in his hand.

“Hello?”

The voice was Uhura’s.

Spock stared at the keychain which glowed with its own light. He tapped the piece of glass and the projection began, but this time, it wasn’t imagery from the Science Museum, or the Hrechite Science newscast. Glowing pale in front of the three Bridge crewman was Lieutenant Uhura’s concentrated face.

“Mr. Spock!” she cried, her eyes widening. “Oh my God, I didn’t know if this would work!”

“How did you accomplish this, Lieutenant?” Spock asked, amazed. This probably wasn’t the most important line of questioning...but this was an incredible feat.

“I have some tools in here...it’s just another form of communication...I was still getting the Engineering feed on this thing and I realised that it must be using a different wavelength from our communicators.”

“You converted the direct feed into an alternating feed…”

It was times like these that Spock was reminded of their Communicator’s genius and wondered, not for the first time, why she didn’t have her own ship.

“Yes, but I wasn’t sure that it would work. What’s going on, Commander? I can’t get out of my room, and it’s getting so cold!”

“We believe that the device that we found in the Transporter room has taken out the computer system completely.”

She sighed on the other line.

“Monty got sick before he could figure it out,” she said, sounding exhausted. “How are we getting out of this? Where’s the Captain?”

“The Captain has been taken to the planet’s surface against his will,” Spock reported, his heart turning over.

A thought occurred to him.

“Lieutenant...may I make a personal inquiry?”

“Of course, Mr. Spock,” she replied, looking attentive despite their predicament.

“Do you know the password to Mr. Scott’s PADD?”

She looked confused.

“Why?”

“The Captain left the Chief Engineer’s PADD in my custody. I believe that his notes may be able to assist in our exit from this situation.”

“Yes, of course. But it’s...it’s kind of silly….”

“There are more opportune moments for modesty, Lieutenant,” Spock said wryly.

“It’s ‘Nyota loves Tribbles,’” she blurted, as though ripping a bandaid off.

Sulu let out a little laugh like he couldn’t help himself.

She blinked at him in that way that only Nyota could, and the laughter stopped abruptly.

Spock was about to make a comment about professionalism when he remembered his own password and kept his mouth shut.

He typed in the password and the PADD came to life before them.

Sulu and Siliana were looking over his shoulder as they beheld what was on the other side of the lock screen. Sulu was the first to say it.

“Holy cow, is that even legal?”

 

*47*

 

“Good job, Zlato,” Marissa approved, her phaser still pointed at Dr. Usui.

The large Hrechite had cleared a hole in the stone wall that led deeper into the cave...a crack that glowed pink, narrow enough that it could fit only one person at a time.

Dr. Sapri looked at Pyua, and smiled, tilting her head in the direction of the crack. “Ladies first.”

The Ametian glared at her, but did as she was told, and slipped into the opening.

Jim followed her at their captor’s request, and they journeyed into the warm, glowing tunnel.

The walls were covered in a thick layer of grass and glowing pink flowers that brushed their faces as they traveled up the steepening incline. Jim could hear the rushing of water from somewhere...like an underground river.

He was so busy being in awe of his surroundings that he nearly forgot that he was in a hostage situation.

Jim glanced behind him at Marissa, who looked just as impressed as he was. She caught his eye and smiled.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it, Captain?”

He stubbornly looked forward again, not wanting to give her any encouragement.

“I know you feel it too,” she said, despite his slight. “That feeling that you get right before a great discovery.”

They kept walking upward in silence.

Kirk didn’t know how long they had been going before they came to something that looked like a metal door...polished like liquid...the pink lights glistening from its surface.

A single line of writing that Jim didn’t understand, was etched across the front of it.

Dr. Sapri stepped between them and ran her fingers over the words. She turned to Usui, who gave her an evil look, and smiled warmly...excitement lighting her moss colored eyes.

“Please tell me how to open it,” she said.

“I can’t read it,” Pyua spat back. “It’s not my dialect.”

The human woman looked at her as though she was terribly disappointed.

“I know you can read it...all Ametians learn the old language when they are children.”

“I’ve forgotten it,” the doctor responded, folding her arms over her chest, her sparkling eyes glancing over at the words with disapproval. “We were children when we learned.”

“I’m sad that you, of all people, wouldn’t help me with this, doctor...don’t you know how much good you could do for the people you love with this discovery?”

“I only know what it could do for you,” the smaller woman snapped. “I have no misconceptions about what will happen to me once I give you what you need!”

Marissa pointed the phaser at Dr. Usui, frowning.

“Tell me how to open it.”

“I told you, I don’t know,” Pyua growled back.

Kirk observed her.

Dr. Usui was a small woman, her long red hair touched the back of her knees, which did nothing but accentuate her short stature...but she was strong. He had seen that on Noroi Omega. She had looked death in the face before.

“Does it at least share the same alphabet?”

“I’ve never seen it before,” the Ametian said, her tone clipped. “Go get a linguist.”

Marissa shook her head.  

“You’re really not going to help me.”

Before Jim had time to react, she had aimed the phaser and had shot the Ametian Doctor, causing the little woman to collapse on the stone floor.

“Pyua!” Kirk knelt down to check on his friend.

“Don’t worry, she’s just stunned,” Marissa sighed, putting her hands on her hips and turning back to the wall. “We have to get this open, Captain.”

The Ametian was breathing shallowly, and Kirk wished that he could do something to help her….

Dr. Sapri held the PADD  in front of him and tapped the screen.

He saw what looked like an antique map appear.

No password.

If I can take the PADD, and get out of here...I can turn the power back on….

She touched a spot on it delicately with her finger.

“This is where we are...at the doorway...and just beyond…” she circled another spot. “Is where the two places meet...where the water touches the roots...the end of the spring.”

“Why do you have me here?” Jim demanded.

“Leverage,” she said, her eyes not leaving the PADD. “I have something you want-”

“My ship,” he grumbled. My husband.

“You have something my colleague wants,” she continued, ignoring the interruption. “Who has something I want.”

“How do I know you won’t just kill my crew anyway?”

“You don’t,” she pointed out.

If I can just get my hands on it….

 

*48*

 

The program that had been open on Scotty’s PADD was a schematic of the entire ship.

Floor by floor were detailed lines that depicted the layout of the Enterprise. Under closer observation, Spock noticed that some of these lines were red.

Red lines surrounded the Brig, the Bridge, the Transporter room, Med Brig and most of Engineering.

“He’s got this whole place rigged!” Sulu breathed. The Vulcan could see a puff of mist with each of his words illuminated by the light of the screen.

“Did it work, Mr. Spock?” Uhura asked from the place where he had set the keychain on the floor.

“Affirmative,” Spock replied, tapping on the red door of the Bridge. There was a creak as the doors fought the frost that had been building in the cracks, and broke open.

The three Bridge officers stood simultaneously.

Spock was the first to approach it, looking around into the Captain’s ready room.

The door to the Turbolift was drawn in black, which meant that Scotty had not linked that particular door to his device. He would have a serious talk with the Chief Engineer about this at another time...but for now, it proved to be quite fortuitous that the man had thought to go the extra mile.

Spock pulled the panel from the barely used Jefferies tube.

“Lieutenants, you two will head to Engineering to get the power back on. I am going to the Med Brig.”

“What for, Commander?” asked Sulu.

“I believe there is someone there who can help.”

 

*49*

 

Kirk took his chance, grabbing Dr. Sapri from behind, twisting her arm behind her back before she could grab her phaser, and using his body weight to trap her against the wall.

She swung the PADD behind her, but he caught her wrist and held onto it tightly.

Kirk twisted her phaser arm until she cried out, letting the weapon fall from her fingers. He kicked it away and pulled the PADD forcibly from her grasp, shoving her against the wall again when he pushed away from her.

He snatched the phaser from the floor and pointing it at her.

She turned around, her green eyes looking shocked and worried.  

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she panted, rubbing her sore wrists.

“I have my ship and I have your weapon,” he reminded her. “I’m going to have to stun you-”

“You really don’t want to do that Captain!” she said, louder this time.

“Why not?”

“That disease...the one that I brought on board...only I have the antidote.”

“Dr. Restel already administered the antidote,” Kirk said, narrowing his eyes.

She shook her head and paused. For a moment she just looked at him. Then-

“He only thought he did. I switched the vaccine out with a catalyst that can kill your entire crew in less than an hour...and it only goes faster the higher the temperature.”

Jim’s heart dropped.

“You’re bluffing.”

“Is that really a risk you’re willing to take?”

“We have the flowers, they can cure my crew.”

“Yes, of a biological ailment...but not a mechanical one.”

Kirk could feel his blood run cold at her words. “What do you mean?”

“I think you know, Captain...how do you think Anita Bruke had such a delicate and balanced mechanical system?”

Jim shook his head, his stomach becoming sick.

“Because she was alive when the system was installed in her bloodstream...so it could learn her biology….”

Kirk stared at her, trying to keep his breathing steady.

“This process kills the living body and mind, and creates a mechanical pathway through the body. We plant our seed just before the host dies. As soon as their organic bodies die, the mechanism will take up the functions that the organic material is no longer executing.”

“Why didn’t he turn you into a Cyborg? Why did he let you live?” Jim asked, trying to keep his horror at bay.

“I’m essential to the plan.”

“He’ll kill you when he’s done,” Kirk pointed out. “How do you know he hasn’t killed your daughter already?”

She seemed to dismiss this. “Let me put it this way, Kirk. You can shoot me, and get the flowers-”

“Sounds about right-”

“And then you don’t get the antidote, and your crew dies. Or...you help me get in here-”

“And then you can turn me over to your colleague and he can kill you and get take the Spring for himself.” He held up the phaser, his finger on the trigger. I’ll take my chances-”

Something hit him hard on the back of the head, and for the second time that day, he was rendered unconscious.

 

*50*

 

There were metal bars in place of the force fields in the Med Brig...a mechanism used only for power outages, or other such malfunctions.

The girl was huddled on the other side of the room, curled in the blankets. She was barely recognizable as the woman who had tried to drug him.

But if Jim had been right, she hadn’t been entirely herself...just ask Scotty and McCoy were also acting irrationally, she had been affected as well.

When their eyes met, hers went wide. Spock didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t her throwing off her covers and getting to her feet.

Sienae Smith  approached the bars cautiously.

“You need me.”

It wasn’t a question...but considering their rather complicated past, the Vulcan wasn’t sure what she meant.

“You need me to help fix the power,” Smith corrected herself.

Her demeanor was different from how it had been when she had tried to drug him. Her voice was different...the way she stood...the way she looked at him attentively, as one would look at their superior officer before being given orders.

She wore the blue jumpsuit that labeled her a prisoner and a patient...but she stood up straight.

“Indeed,” he replied. “You understand that if this were not a total emergency-”

“I understand, Mr. Spock,” she said. “I’ll get back in my cell when this is through, if that is the Captain’s wish.”

The Vulcan nodded and used the PADD to open her cell.

She stepped forward, her arms crossed in front of her. She cast her brown eyes up at him, but not the way she did when they first met...there was no fawning admiration...no unmasked attraction. She was just another crewman. Spock thought it suited her better.

“I apologize for what I tried to do, Mr. Spock. It was inappropriate and entirely out of line. I intend to take my punishment without contest, but I’m happy I did this in person.”

He looked down at her warily...unsure as to the sincerity of the apology. He settled on silence on the matter.

“We need to get to the Transporter room,” he said, and they both began walking.

“Do you have tools?” she asked.

“Lieutenant Siliana is retrieving them now.”

“What is my assignment?”

“There is a machine that seems to share many characteristics with that which was inside of the body of Anita Bruke.”

“Another Cyborg?”

“Negative. It seems to have entwined itself throughout the wiring of our computer systems.”

“That should be easier to work with,” she said conversationally. “Though I’ll have to look at it to be sure that I can help at all.”

Spock stopped dead in his tracks, clutching his stomach, his face contorting into a grimace.

“Mr. Spock, are you alright?” Sienae exclaimed. She reached out a hand to help steady him, but seemed to think better of it and pulled it back.

The Vulcan nodded, his lips pressed tightly together.

He hadn’t realised what had been wrong with him this whole time...it was different now...that he had a mate.

It is too soon...his mind cried out.

Whatever the reason...he knew...Pon Farr had begun once more.

And it was hitting him now with a vengeance.

 

*51*

 

When Jim came to again, he was propped against the cave wall, little pink glowing flowers keeping his head cushioned.

He turned his head and a sharp pain shot through it along with a wave of nausea.

Dr. Usui was propped beside him, her red hair falling in her face.

Kirk wondered how much of an effect a stun from a phaser could have on such a small frame.

“Pyua,” he said softly, blinking to clear his vision.

Her big eyes opened, the glow from the flowers making her eyes look like pink kaleidoscopes.

“Captain...why is this happening to us?”

“She wants answers,” he said weakly. He didn’t know what else to say and couldn’t help but feel that he had failed her...in so many ways.

“We cannot let her open the gate,” she said, sounding so tired.

“I don’t think we could open it if we tried,” he admitted, his heart clenching in his chest.

“Does she intend to kill us?” the Ametian asked, no fear in her voice.

He thought of Spock...this was not the future he had envisioned for them.

He’ll be frozen to death up there….

He felt tears sting his eyes, making the beautiful shimmer of the flowers blur.

We have a future...a good future….

“Doctor...that fruit that I ate…”

She blinked at him expectantly.

“I’ve been seeing things...things that haven’t happened yet...or never will...it doesn’t end like this.”

Her eyes were soft and kind.

“We were not meant to know our futures, Captain Kirk.”

“Nor were we meant to live forever,” said a voice from behind him.

He leaned his head back against the flowers and sighed.

She was back.

“But we’ve always found a way, haven’t we? To break our barriers...bend the rules. When man cannot fly, he builds wings.”

“Is that what you think you’re doing?” Jim demanded.

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“Murdering innocent people! What do you plan to gain by doing this to my crew?”

“What do I plan to gain from a Starship and 430 people who are under my total control?”

“Kabakai will take it from you!”

“Will he now?” she asked. “He’ll have nothing to take if you cooperate, Captain.”

She walked back over to the door, her head bowed to observe her PADD again...as though she had missed something.  

Kirk was burning up...he could feel it through his entire body...like lava through their bond.

Then nausea...and pain...and fire.

He reached out as much as he could towards his mate.

Spock I need you….

Jim was getting pretty sick and tired of being in these situations...tired of being away from Spock.

Dizziness struck again….

 

“What should we name him?” Jim asked, gesturing to the orange kitten, who was fast asleep on his chest.

Spock laid beside him, one hand stroking Jim’s hair, the other stroking the baby animal.

The Vulcan laid a soft kiss on his jaw.

“I suggest we name him after someone who shares his temperament.”

“He clawed the daylight out of me when we first met,” Jim reminded his husband.

“Precisely why I was going to suggest we name him Leonard.”

Kirk snorted.

“That doesn’t fit, the cat likes you better than me.”

“Implying what exactly?”

“Whatever you’re inferring,” the human shot back, turning his head so he could bump his husband’s nose.

“McCoy and I are on much better terms,” Spock stated matter of factly.

“I’m sorry Spock, did I hurt your feelings?” Kirk said, a grin spreading across his face. “Are you two best friends now?”

“No such declarations have been made, however, he did mention anklets…”

Jim was laughing now. He loved this...loved when Spock let his human side come out...the side that had to keep up with his human mother who had a wicked sense of humor, as Kirk was coming to discover.

“Sounds like it’s getting pretty serious.”

Spock kissed his husband’s smile, making a contented sound.

 

Kirk was pulled out of his thoughts by a pain through his body...a roiling nausea. He knew he needed Spock. He closed his eyes and tried to focus...tried to step away from the warm memory of their future...to separate himself from the discomfort.

Marissa was busying herself with the door, looking at the words carefully.

Jim reached for the bond, feeling Spock on the other side. He was busy...trying to shield against their joint discomfort. Somehow, he knew that his husband had figured out what was wrong with them both...if only he could reach out to him...communicate.

Kirk huffed out a sigh of frustration, but tried to filter from his self doubt. He reached farther into the bond, imagining, as his bondmate had taught him, the place where their two minds met….

He could feel it... like stumbling into the attic...crowded and disorganized and dark. Jim searched the meeting place, his mind seeping in the outlines of thoughts. There was no order, so he grabbed onto that which was closest to him. It was incredible...searching through a mind like this...he had never realised how much went into a thought or a memory...things that were touched, carried, felt, but forgotten in the moment.

It was one of those forgotten moments that seemed to stick to the human’s mind.

He remembered what Spock had said about their minds...that there was a magnetic pull...a synchronization that worked to help each other. Whatever Jim had hold of now was something that Spock’s subconscious mind thought would help its mate.

Kirk pulled himself out of it, his head pounding behind his eye socket...like he had strained himself beyond his original capacity.

“Are you alright, Captain?” Dr. Usui whispered.

He nodded sharply, ignoring the pain in his head as he tried to focus.

There was something in the science kit...something important...something that could help.

“I’m running out of time, Captain…” Marissa was looking at him imploringly. “I have no choice but to punish your crew further...I’m going to turn down the air supply...I won’t kill them, but they’ll be in pain….”

“Go to Hell,” was all Jim could manage as he tried to regain his bearings.

She shook her head sadly.

“Zlato, watch them,” she commanded the Hrechite who had somehow squeezed his enormous body through the crack in the wall and had taken forever to catch up with the unwilling expedition.

She walked down the winding tunnel, no doubt to get outside of the cave where there was signal.

I can do this….

 

*52*

 

Spock was watching as Sienae worked on the delicate machine with uncanny deftness. Her slender fingers held the tool in her hand like an artist would hold a paintbrush...her face looking the same as someone looking at a masterpiece.

“This really is beautiful work. Whoever built this was a genius,” she said in a hushed voice mostly to herself. She had made many of these comments as she worked, and even hummed a little to herself as she made rapid progress on strands of the mechanical web.

Spock had sent Siliana back to the Engineering room to wait for their signal to reboot the system. Sienae seemed unfazed by the temperature decreasing, as she was so engrossed in her work.

“Connecter,” she ordered, handing the tool back to Spock who took it, put it back in its box, and placed the connecter in her outstretched hand. He was watching her splint the damaged wires when he felt the awkward sense of something crashing into his mind. He blinked a few times, completely confused...but not uncomfortable. His heart swelled when he realised that it was Jim.

My adun is so resourceful….

The Vulcan wanted to help, but knew that startling Jim at this point might break the delicate connection that his human had accomplished. He wanted to offer support, but the effort of shielding his mate from the intense burning of Pon Farr was too much.

The sensation was over as quickly as it had begun, and Spock felt a sense of loss.

Come back….

“Commander.”

The voice was sharp, and Spock realised that he had been so involved in his husband’s actions, that he had forgotten to focus on assisting Ms. Smith. Her eyes were looking at him analytically.  

“If you can’t focus, you’ll have to bring in one of the others,” she said, not unkindly.

The Vulcan was taken aback by the statement...something she would have never said before….

He felt a sense of peace...like he could almost possibly work with this person in the future.

“You have my full attention, Lieutenant,” he responded, taking the connecter from her.

“Minute extractor,” she said, after eyeing him warily.

He retrieved the object for her and she bent her body so she could reach her arm further behind the panel.

“Estimate?” he asked.

She grunted and he could hear something ripping through the wall.

“I estimate,” she said, pulling her hand out with black cords, “another fifteen minutes to get the systems functioning again, and another five for you to regain control of your computers.”

She dumped the blackened cords into a box and stuck her hand back in.

“Though I’m going to need more time to clean it up in there to ensure no future damage.”

“Granted,” he said, peering into the box to see the charred remains of the device.

He was getting the feeling like she was an entirely different person. Perhaps this is what contributed to him feeling comfortable enough to ask her questions.

“Ms. Smith?”

“Mmm?” was all her response was as she kept to her task, barely paying him mind.

“Do you know a Dr. Kabakai?”

She shook her head.

“Your husband asked me the same thing,” she said. “I’ve never heard of this man.”

“Do you know Commodore Daniels?”

“Yes...but it was a long time ago, when Sendal and I were still children.”

Spock heard a loud popping noise, but it didn’t seem to be a concern, as the younger woman continued her work as normal.

“Did you know him well?” he pried. He got the distinct feeling that she would not be so open if her mind was not otherwise completely occupied.

“I was best friends with his son, Max when we were kids. Then Phillip got promoted, and they had to move away. I stayed in contact with Max, but I haven’t seen or spoken to Phillip in years.”

“Were you aware that his son as an incurable illness?”

Another loud pop.

“Why the cheerful conversation?” she asked.

“These are questions we intended to ask you during an interrogation in a far less comfortable setting. I was being efficient.”

“You call this setting comfortable?” she muttered.

“Were you aware, Ms. Smith?”

She sighed impatiently.

“Yes. I kept in contact with him after they moved. I just visited him before I came here...I’ve been trying to come up with a way to get his brain into an Android body...but if his new Doctor is as good as he says he is, that may not be necessary-”

“Did you meet his new doctor?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You saw him?”

She looked at him from her work, her eyes narrowing.

“Is that important right now?”

 

*53*

 

Zlato stood watch over the two hostages with a vacant expression on his face. Kirk could see the kit propped next to the giant door behind the guard.

“Do you have a plan?” Usui asked softly, curled up so that her arms were wrapped around her knees, her back against the sparkling flowers.

“I need to get the kit,” he responded, not looking at her so as not to arouse the suspicion of their keeper. Something told him that they could have been drawing escape plans on the walls with chalk, and the guard still wouldn’t have stirred. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

Usui seemed to pick up on that train of thought, because to his surprise, she stood up and stretched. The thing, that had once been Zlato, didn’t even stir.

The Captain rose to his feet as well, and wished that the reckless Ametian would have briefed him first before executing some kind of plan.

Perhaps she was a decoy? Was he supposed to dip behind the guard? Was she going to try and run the opposite direction-

But she walked right up to the guard before Jim could do anything to stop her.

“Please hand me my purse,” she commanded.

The cyborg finally looked at her, blinking once with glowing eyes before he turned around and picked the kit up. He had the good sense to peek inside, but as Marissa had already removed any dangerous contents, there was nothing to find. He handed the kit to Usui, and then resumed his staring.

She walked lightly over to Jim, smiling smugly, and handed him the leather satchel.

He took it, looking between her and the gigantic creature standing in front of the cave opening.

“Think you can ask him to let us leave?” he asked.

“Something tells me it’s not that easy.”

She sighed, annoyed, and leaned against the wall.

Jim leaned against it with her, glancing at the words etched on the Door, and looked back at her.

“You really don’t know how to read this?”

“What’s in the bag, Captain?” she asked, changing the subject.

He wondered at her dismissal, but decided not to pry.

“I have no idea, let’s find out.”

They both sat against the wall while he turned the satchel upside down, pouring the contents all over the floor.

“Are you sure that's wise?” the Ametian chastised.

“Too late now,” he smirked, looking through the contents.

Jim let his fingers rove over the items, and all he could think of was Spock….

These were his things...things that Spock had deemed important...contents that he had packed with meticulous precision. Kirk wished he could be with his husband now. Something caught his eye immediately...something inside of his mind clicked, like two magnets coming together.

He grabbed the little vile and held it up triumphantly.

“What’s that, Captain?” Dr. Usui asked, casting a glimpse in the direction of their captor.

“Tears.”

 

*54*

 

Lieutenant Smith held the minute extractor in her hand and turned it once. There was a crackling sound, and something tiny, black, and fizzling bounced on the floor. Spock retrieved it while the Romulan completed her task, using the connector.

Suddenly his heart began to speed up...and he realised that he wasn’t getting enough air.

Spock heard Smith gasp from where she was, and she dropped the connecter, clutching her chest.

Her eyes met his.

“They must have turned down our oxygen,” she panted, her face annoyed as she scrambled sluggishly for her tool. “I was a second too late getting that...damn...thing...out….”

The Vulcan stared at the small, offending piece of machinery with a mixture of annoyance and awe. It was such a complex device...so small and delicate...and with such dire consequences.

She dragged the connecter back up, as though it was taking a lot of effort, her mouth open as she took gasping breaths. She lifted her arm to finish her work, but kept dropping it….

It was too heavy with the strain of trying to breathe.

Spock came closer and grasped her upper arm, pushing it up so she could reach the wires, his own muscles feeling weak.

The Romulan accepted the help, and he could feel the muscles of her arm trembling with the effort of their task.

Finally she let her arm drop, wheezing.

Sienae took one last look at the wires before looking at him, leaning her head against the panel and nodding.

“It’s ready, Commander.”

“Acknowledged,” he responded, fighting through the fog of black spots that were popping into his vision so he could pick up the PADD and use it to open the engineering door twice in a row...the signal for Sulu and Siliana to start the system back up.

10.326 second later, the lights were back on, and the biting cold began to recede.

And then they both took a gulp of fresh air.

 

*55*

 

“Are you sure this is going to work, Captain?” Usui asked, watching Jim rub the lotion into his hands.

“Well...I never said I was sure…”

She frowned at him as he stood up to face the giant Hrechite once again. He could feel a few beads of sweat forming on his own brow. He didn’t know how this was going to work...if it was even capable of working under these conditions…this creature was a robot now, after all….

“Lieutenant Zlato?” he asked cautiously.

The creatures eyes turned to his.

“You have something on your neck,” Kirk said, and gently began to wipe the imaginary substance off.

He wasn’t sure if he put enough on...wasn’t sure how long the effects would take, or last.

“What are you doing?” a voice said softly from behind him.

Jim stepped away and his eyes met glinting green ones.

“Flirting isn’t going to get you out of here, Kirk,” she said, not unkindly, a little smile on her face.

She turned to Dr. Usui.

“Please...I’m giving you one last chance to tell me what the Door says.”

Marissa’s eyes met hers, begging.  

“Please, doctor...I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

Suddenly, the giant Hrechite collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide, his hands clawing at his neck as he gasped for breath.

“Zlato?” Dr. Sapri approached the giant Cyborg, and he reached out for her, stumbling against her so hard that she was knocked to the ground, the phaser skittering across the stone floor.

The younger woman only had time to glance at Kirk before he took off running down the narrow cave where they had come from. Jim kept as quick of a pace as he could in the dim, flower light, until he heard a scream. He knew immediately that it was his Ametian friend, and turned a little, just in time to see Marissa running after him with uncanny speed. She was holding something in her hand...and it wasn’t a phaser. He looked forward and ran harder. He could see the small opening where they had entered...beyond that, he knew was the cave, and then the mouth of the cave...if he could just get out of there-

His foot came in contact with something large and hard that sent him sprawling, his hands hitting the stone floor with so much force that he could feel blood already oozing from his broken skin.

Jim ignored the pain and pushed himself halfway up-

And something hit him on his back, pushing him back down on the ground, his arms unable to stop him from hitting his head against the floor.

Marissa Sapri had tackled him to the ground.

Kirk was about to push her off when he felt a sharp pain in his lower back.

The wind was knocked out of him, and he stared at the stone floor, paralyzed as his mind registered what had happened to him.

She shoved off of him. He could hear the sound of her boots scraping against the floor as she stood back up behind him, and felt the scrape of something else as she pulled the weapon from his body. This time he didn’t get up.

She stabbed me, he realised, as his vision began to darken.

He could feel his husband’s panic through their bond.

Jim...please, T’hy’la….

And then it was black.

 

*56*

 

Spock was pacing back and forth in front the Transporter while Sulu and Sienae were at the control panel, supervising its start up process.

Spock focused on the bond...sending his mate as much support as he could in his own compromised state….

The Vulcan had no more energy for his shields...his emotions were like waves crashing on walls made of sand.

“Send me down,” he nearly snapped for not the first time since they’d begun their process.

“I’m sorry sir, but we haven’t completed the calibration process,” Sulu said patiently.

Spock could feel the searing pain through their bond...could feel his beloved’s heartbeat slowing...he must be losing blood-

The Vulcan grabbed onto the control panel with both hands, his knuckles white with the force of it.

Sienae jumped back a little, grabbing onto Sulu’s shirt to pull him back with her reflexively.

“You will transport me now Mr. Sulu,” Spock growled, feeling his blood boiling.

He needed to get to Jim...he needed to make sure he was okay...he needed to be with him....

Sulu’s eyes were wide with confusion and shock, while the Romulan looked wary, but not a little bit surprised.

Jimmustbewithmymatemustprotecthimminetoprotectmylovemybondmate

“Give it five more minutes,” Sienae said, her dark eyes locked onto his.

He could sense her trepidation behind the determined stare.

“I do not have five minutes,” Spock said hoarsely.

“Then three.”

MyJimIneedhimhe’sindangermyloveisindangerthesepeoplearethreatskeepingusapart

Spock heard before he felt the metal give beneath his fingers.

Sulu and Sienae’s eyes went to his hands simultaneously, the Romulan still holding the Helmsman back like one would a child from a rabid animal.

Her eyes shot back up to his.

“Get on the landing pad, and don’t interrupt me,” she said steadily.

The Vulcan shoved off and stalked over to the landing pad, his fingers leaving indentations on the metal of the control panel.  

Sulu’s eyes were back on his task, working quickly, his eyes flickering up to look at Spock from time to time, while Sienae worked by his side, her eyes never leaving her controls.

Theyaredeliberatelykeepingmefromhimthosetryantstryingtokeepusaparttryingtokillhim

He was about to order them to hurry the hell up when he saw the gold glowing all around him.

 

*57*

 

Dr. Usui was kneeling beside Jim when he regained consciousness...her hands covered in his blood, her uniform torn.

“Don’t move,” she said softly. “I wasn’t able to do much...your human body is foreign to me…I tied some flowers to your wound….”

Kirk struggled to get into sitting position.

“Please, Captain, stay down.”

“Doctor, he will die...and soon...please, you must help,” said Marissa’s voice from somewhere outside of his line of vision.

Kirk saw the Ametian’s face harden in annoyance, but when her giant eyes met his, he could see her expression soften.

“Don’t,” Jim croaked.

“You have pushed me to means that I never thought capable...you must understand my desperation,” Dr. Sapri said.

“You kill people and steal their bodies with your machines,” Usui spat, but her eyes remained on her friend, and Kirk knew that her resolve was weakening. “You’ll kill us both once you’re through with us.”

“No.”

Sapri’s voice was like honey.

“I need Jim alive and well if I’m to get my daughter back...and you...I’ve come to know you. I couldn’t imagine taking your life, doctor.”

Kirk groaned, and Usui’s lips turned down into something miserable.

She’s going to do it...she’s going to help her….

Jim wanted to shake his head, but found that he was too weak...his consciousness was swimming in pain and blood loss...not to mention whatever was burning through their bond.

“You’ll take that water, and then you’ll be unstoppable,” Usui said finally, her big eyes looking sad. “I’m sorry, Marissa, but I can’t allow it.”

Suddenly, Sapri was kneeling beside Usui, her green eyes soft and lovely.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Doctor...think of the amazing things we can accomplish...the people that can be cured and saved.”

“For a price,” the Ametian finished for her.

Marissa placed her hand gently on Dr. Usui’s back.

“What doesn’t have a price, doctor? Think of the challenge other scientists will have...finally, we can breathe a competitive spirit into the world of medical science.”

Dr. Usui finally tore her eyes away from Kirk and looked into Sapri’s green ones. The younger woman gazed at her.

“Scientists and doctors have believed for too long that they’ve solved every problem that has a solution...we are going to show them that there is a solution for every problem...inspire them to do better than us….”

Don’t listen to her! Kirk wanted to say, but he coughed up blood instead.

“My colleague is ambitious but lacks the empathy that you have...a love for living beings that challenges the universe to be better. To strive for the goodness too many of us believe to be unobtainable.”

“You’re letting the crew die,” Usui whispered shakily.

Marissa’s green eyes were mournful.

“They will be the last. The vessel and its crew are imperative to the plans. I feel that in the long run, they would understand that their lives contributed to the greater good...a worthy sacrifice for a better universe.”

Usui stared at Marissa, her lips shaking like she was about to cry.

Sapri looked down, her long lashes casting towards the floor, as though deciding on something. She looked back up at Usui.

“I didn’t want it to come to this...but my colleague has suggested that I release another virus among the Ametians...no other Starships will be called into the area so long as the Enterprise orbits this planet...so long as the crew of the Enterprise blocks any further calls to Starfleet.”

The Ametian’s eyes went wide with terror.

Marissa shook her head adamantly.

“I don’t want this. I really don’t, and it doesn’t have to be this way.”

She pointed at the Door.

“There is a way we can all win, doctor.”

“No,” Kirk managed to croak, his eyelids becoming heavy again.

But Usui didn’t seem to hear him and stood to approach the Door. Dr. Sapri said nothing, but watched the Ametian calculatively.

No….

CRASH

The whole ground seemed to bounce at the force of the giant rock that landed right beside the two doctors, who both scrambled apart.

It was Zlato. He looked enormous from where Kirk lay, his eyes literally glowing, his face contorted with fury.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LOVE?!” the creature bellowed, stooping so his face was in Marissa’s, whose forest colored eyes were wide with surprise.

Usui was huddled against the wall, and Dr. Sapri held up both hands defensively.

“Stop, Zlato, you are not following your orders,” she said calmly. “You must protect the opening-”

The giant Hrechite shoved her by the shoulder, causing the woman to fly into the Door like she weighed nothing.

“My darling...why has she done this thing to you?” Zlato wailed. It took Jim a second to realise that the man was talking to him.

Kirk opened his mouth to try to say something-anything- but a choking cough came out instead.

The giant creature pulled the human into his arms, cradling him gently and stroking his hair. Jim felt absurdly like a small pet.

“I shall not let her hurt you again. I love you.”

Kirk could see Dr. Sapri getting shakily to her feet, her eyes fixed on the confusing scene, her brows furrowed delicately. She reached behind her and took a phaser from her belt, pointing it at the Hrechite.

Jim wanted to warn him, but Dr. Usui was there in a flash. She was clinging to a rock, and hit the woman’s head with all of the force her little body could muster. Marissa collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Dr. Usui looked over at the two men.

“Captain!” she seemed to mouth...but there was no sound anymore...nothing but burning...and then it was dark again.

 

*58*

 

When Spock materialised, he was in familiar territory, positioned in front of the fallen “Lighthouse,” its spire trapped in the hollow mountain. He could feel his lover through their bond...feel his own muscles tensing with the adrenaline that his Pon Farr had ramped up. His bondmate was somewhere in that cave.

He bound up the fallen rocks, needing more than anything to have his t’hy’la back in his arms where he belonged.

I’mcomingnoonewilltakeyoufrommeagainI’llneverletthemtakeyou

The Vulcan was seeing red when he climbed through the mouth of the cave, the scent of the dazzling flowers flooding his senses the moment he walked in. He stopped then, taking a few deep breaths as his eyes scanned the dim, pink setting. There was a stone that hadn’t been there before...a large slab with carvings. He recognized it immediately as the ancient machine that had been stolen from the Hrechite Museum of Science and Technology. He stepped around it and let his eyes rove over the walls. He knew his husband was in here somewhere...somewhere hidden….

The Vulcan was pulled out of his concentration when he heard a little groan from the corner of the room.

Spock recognized Marissa Sapri immediately and strode in her direction, his phaser pointing directly at her.

She looked up at him, her green eyes looking dazed.

“Mr. Spock-”

“Where is he?” Spock demanded, clawing onto his calm with all of his might.

All he wanted to do was destroy her...pull the trigger and take her down. She had hurt his mate, and now she would pay.

“I don’t understand,” she said, her face arranged into something innocent.

Something snapped inside of the Vulcan, and the control he had been holding onto so tightly was torn from him. He threw the phaser on the floor and fell upon the woman like a hawk.

She tried to escape, but his hands were on her face before she could get the chance.

“NO!” she screamed, her legs kicking, but making no progress as he said the words that made her stop moving.

Spock was more forceful in her mind than was strictly necessary...a punishment for her, and a lesson to anyone else who would dare to hurt his beloved. He wasn’t sure if it was the Pon Farr, but her mind was...different...confusing, a house of mirrors.

A voice was speaking in her mind...a man’s voice.

He didn’t have time for that...he could feel his chosen slipping in and out of consciousness through their bond. He had to find out where he was. Spock barrelled through the woman’s mind. It was like walking through a building on fire. It was so hard to concentrate.

Then something shifted in her mind...slipping like ice cracking underfoot.

The Vulcan tried to hold onto it, but it slid from his grasp, and he was pulling away from her like he had been burned. Spock took a few steadying breaths as his focus came back to the cave.

Marissa was looking at him, her eyes wide with confusion. Spock stood, feeling panic rise within him. She scrambled up...and looked around.

She whirled on him, her eyes wild with rage.

“How did this happen? How did I get down here?” she demanded. She reminded him somewhat of the dog-like specimen that they had picked up on Alpha 177. When they had transported it, the creature had been split into its two parts, one docile and one quite disagreeable.

She was the disagreeable one.

She’saliarshe’shurtmyhusbandandnowhe’sdyingandshewon’ttellmewhereheisshehastostopscreaming

Spock pressed his fingers to his head, trying to stop the racing thoughts.

“How did you do it? How did you get me down here? Where is he?” she was screaming. “I’m gonna kill him! He’ll pay!!”

Spock pulled her into a rather rough neck pinch and she slid to the floor.

He paced the cave, trying to concentrate...trying to locate his beloved, but found it impossible.

Spock had to fight the urge to punch a wall. He sat cross legged on the floor and shut his eyes, forcing his heartbeat down.

And then he reached.

 

*59*

 

Jim…

Kirk opened his eyes with a gasp. He was warm, and comfortable.

Where am I?

The world seemed to be moving, and then he realised that he was being gently rocked by a pair of giant arms.

Zlato was sitting on the floor, holding him, his enormous tail wrapped around them like a scaly nest.

T’hy’la tell me where you are….

It was Spock….

Jim sat up a little. His head didn’t hurt as much...the wound in his lower back ached slightly, but he could move. He looked down at Usui who was standing in front of the Door, her fingers caressing the etchings.

“Doctor,” Jim managed, his voice cracking.

She whirled around, her big eyes shining as she ran over to them.

“Captain! Are you alright?” she whispered.

Jim coughed a little and glanced at the sleeping creature, who was gently snoring as he embraced, what he thought was, his tiny human.

“Get me down,” Kirk hissed.

“I’ve tried...he won’t let you go.”

Jim…

Kirk closed his eyes and relished his own name spoken in the way only his bondmate would ever be able to speak to him. He sent Spock as much acknowledgement as he could muster.

I’m in the cave...I know you’re in here...tell me where you are, my beloved….

Jim’s eyes flew open and he looked to where he had seen the opening. It was closed now, a large boulder pressed against it.

“Did he lock us in here?” he whispered to Dr. Usui.

She nodded, a look of concern on her face.

“He said he wanted to keep you safe from the ‘bad woman’...Captain, what was in that hand cream?”

“I’ll explain later. Spock is in the cave and can’t find us. Can you use the phaser to blast through those boulders?”

“I’ve already tried, Captain,” she said, sounding defeated. “The stones here are too strong.”

Give me a sign...anything...I need you...I never want you out of my sight again.

Jim felt a combination of frustration at not being able to communicate, anger at being in this position to begin with, love for his husband and First Officer...his hero and rock...and arousal at the brush of Spock’s mind against the bond.

He sighed and tried to think through the chaos in his mind.

“What happens when you do try?” he asked, rubbing his temples.

“The rock just turns red...get hot,” she responded, gesturing towards them as though they were doing so right then.

“Okay,” Kirk breathed, exhausted. “Do that.”

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly.

He shut his eyes against the burning in his blood and somewhere heard the gentle sound of the phaser.  

 

*60*

 

Spock felt his husband’s reassurance...knew that he had heard him.             

He stood still and focused on his breathing.

That was when he noticed the wall was turning red...heat was emanating from one particular place.

Are you using a phaser?

A rush of affirmation came through the bond, and the Vulcan sprinted in the direction of the hot stone.

I’m here, k’diwa. You can stop using it.

Up close, he could see the lines that would have led to an opening if there wasn’t a block.

Spock frowned at it. His husband was on the other side of that door, injured and waiting for him.

He  placed his shoulder firmly on the boulder, smoke rising as his uniform burned. But he wasn’t going to wait a second longer. The pain, and the weight of the stone felt like nothing compared to the fear and longing he had for his mate...his Jim.

The Vulcan pushed with all of his might on the stone, gritting his teeth with the strain. He could feel his lover weakening on the other side of the bond. He was so close….

The boulder gave, and rolled forward.

He pushed even harder, using the momentum to roll it aside before stomping through the small opening.  

Dr. Usui was on the other side, the phaser still held up, her eyes wide.

Spock searched frantically until his eyes landed on Jim, sitting against the wall, pale and clammy, holding his side...behind a massive, angry Hrechite wearing a red uniform.

The Vulcan headed for his husband, feeling the magnetic electricity between them. Zlato stepped in front of him, his eyes glowing with fury.

“Stay away,” he growled.

Spock held back the reflex to punch him in the face.

“Lieutenant, we need to get out of this cave so the Captain can receive medical treatment,” Spock commanded, but his eyes were locked on Kirk. He wanted to run to him...scoop him up in his arms and hold him.

“No!” the Hrechite demanded, shoving a massive finger in his chest. “You think I don’t know? He smells like you...your scent is all over him! You’ll take him from me! But he’s mine!”

Jim shut his eyes against the frustration. He needed Spock’s hands on him now. He needed his husband now.

He hadn’t realised how severe the effects of the Elasian tears would be on the creature...how were they so effective on someone who was almost dead inside?

“Let him pass, Lieutenant,” Jim tried.

There was something about Spock, standing there in fighting position, his face looking determined, that made the human’s heart beat frantically.

He couldn’t help his eyes wandering over the lean figure of his life mate. Spock’s muscles looked bigger...he looked a little taller as well.

“No. You have a doctor here...I love you! You can’t leave me,” the creature said in a low shaking voice.

Thiscreatureiskeepingmefrommymateheischallengingmeforwhatismine

“Step out of my way now, Lieutenant. That is an order,” Spock growled.

“No!”

“I will be taking my husband to sickbay, and I do not wish to use force to get you out of my way.”

Why was Kirk so turned on right now?

The Vulcan tried again to walk around the Hrechite, but the huge creature shoved him back hard, slamming the smaller body against the wall.

That was when Spock lost it.

He flung himself at the Hrechite who towered over him by at least 3 feet. Spock grabbed him around the middle, pulling them both to the ground, landing on top of him and grabbing the wrist of a hand that had flown up to strike him.

The Vulcan pushed his fingers into a harsh neck pinch, but it didn’t faze the Hrechite in the least, who flung him off and scrambled to his feet.

Spock rolled himself into standing position with uncanny grace, blocking another attempted blow to the head with ease. The crazed Hrechite lowered his head, his horns pointing in the Vulcan’s direction and he ran at him. Spock, to Jim’s absolute horror, ran towards him, grabbing onto the horns and digging his heels into the ground. The Vulcan’s heavy bone density slowed the momentum as the taller man pushed him against the wall. Spock maintained his grip on the horns, planting on foot against the wall so he could leverage his body up while pulling the horns down to smack the Hrechite’s face against his knee twice, bringing the taller man to his knees.

Zlato grabbed Spock’s wrist and twisted. A loud pop sounded, and Kirk could feel pain coming from the bond. Jim tried to concentrate on soothing it while Dr. Usui stood in front of him, as though her tiny frame could protect him from any mishaps. In comparison to her, Spock and Zlato looked like Titans.

Spock punched the Hrechite in the face repeatedly...seeing red...seeing nothing but a challenger who was trying to keep him and his bondmate apart. Blue blood was flying, and the taller man staggered to the floor. He swung a fist in the Vulcan’s direction, who dodged it and delivered a final blow to the Hrechite’s face.

Jim felt relief and frustration all at once. He could barely move...could do nothing to help his husband fight...but watching Spock beat the crap out of the Cyborg had done things to him, and Jim realised that he was biting his lip as the victor strode in his direction.

Does that make me the prize?

The Vulcan was radiating a primal confidence as he approached his wounded mate.

Spock knelt before him, stroking Jim’s face gently, his fingers brushing over his psi points, subtly checking on his lover’s wellbeing.

“Spock, your hands!” Jim exclaimed, carefully taking his wrist and inspecting the cuts from beating the pulp out of giant Cyborg.

“Dr. Restel can assist us when we return,” Spock murmured before placing a soft, sweet kiss on his mate’s lips.

Kirk melted into it, his body surging forward and then stuttering with the pain. The Vulcan pulled away from him, worry written across his face.

He kept his hands on his Bondmate and turned to Dr. Usui, who was busying herself with Jim’s wound.

“Can he be moved, doctor?”

She frowned but nodded.

“Yes, but very carefully.”

Spock pulled Jim into his arms and stood, carrying his human, and walked out of the cave with his prize.

 

*61*

 

Jim sat stiffly in a chair as Dr. Restel used the Operray to mend the wound inside of him.

“How are you feeling now, Captain?” the doctor asked softly, working with incredible precision and care.

“I’m alright...a little woozy, but I’ll live,” Jim said distractedly as he moved a Regenerator along Spock’s wounded hands, and shoulder.

His husband, who was slipping deeper into Plak Tow, had nearly torn the Doctor’s head off when he had tried to touch Kirk to treat him….

He also refused to be touched by anyone but Jim, which forced the younger man to take direction from Nurse Chapel to regenerate his wounds. The Vulcan watched Dr. Restel use the Operray like a hawk, making sure that the other male didn’t try to make a move on his mate.

Spock had a bad sprain that Nurse Chapel helped Kirk to fix. She was an exhausted but patient teacher. Jim caught the glimpses of understanding that she tossed at Spock, and knew that she recognized the same behavior as last time he was in this condition...though she still didn’t know the exact details.

She was careful to explain to Spock exactly why she was helping Jim.

Christine had knelt before the Vulcan, making sure she was at a lower level...a classic act of submission.

“I am an expert, and the Captain is not, do I have permission to share my expertise to ensure that you receive ample care?”

Spock had nodded and the Head Nurse had gotten to work.

It had been nearly two hours since Marissa Sapri had said that his crew was going to die…which meant that the woman, who was being silent now, had been bluffing about the antidote. As Jim looked around, he was happy to see that the patients, who had been unconscious before he had left, were now sitting up, eating, and talking...still tired….

But not dying.

Kirk wasn’t going to leave anything to chance though.

Jim held the delicate wrist as he worked, lovingly mending his Vulcan warrior’s wounds. He could feel the heat through their touch...knew that he himself was going to have his share of madness if they didn’t consummate their Pon Farr soon.

“You’re almost done, Captain,” came the doctor’s voice from behind him. “Thank you for being so patient.”

It was odd how demure Dr. Restel had been ever since their arrival back to the ship, but it was pleasant nonetheless. Perhaps he too had been affected by whatever disease Dr. Sapri had spread around the ship.

“I’m too tired to move,” Jim admitted. He heard a gentle chuckle come from the doctor.

“Well then, you’ll have to get some rest after I’ve checked your vitals.”

Jim smiled at Spock, mesmerised by the dark alien eyes that were looking back at him. Kirk had finished healing the burns, and ran his fingers along the renewed skin...relishing the energy that seemed to spark through their touch.

Kirk carefully used the Osteogenic Stimulator to heal the sprain in Spock’s wrist. The Vulcan shifted in his seat...a combination of arousal and discomfort.

“I’ve ordered Sulu to prepare the vaccine made from the flowers,” Jim told his husband, fearing that if he didn’t keep him occupied, Spock was like to bend Jim over the table and fuck him in front of everyone in Sickbay.

Spock shut his eyes and shuddered, and Kirk realised that he had been holding Spock’s bare wrist when the erotic thought had crossed his mind.

“Dr. Usui is helping him,” Jim said, his voice coming out as a croak. “They will be administering the vaccine from room to room with the help of a few other crewmen that we can afford. Dr. Usui is graciously going to take blood samples and see what she can do about any...foreign materials in the blood stream. If the patients have the same thing as Lieutenant Smith, they are going to be well by tomorrow.”

Kirk tried to keep things professional, but the burning in his blood, and the erection in his pants were impossible to ignore. He knew he should be concentrating on his crew...but his and Sock’s lives were on the line now….

We’ll be no good to them dead.

“And-”

An image of Spock fucking him into the mattress popped into his mind and the human let out an involuntary whimper, causing the arousal on Spock’s end to surge.

“I apologize, Captain, did that hurt?” Dr. Restel asked from behind him, obviously misinterpreting the sound.

Kirk wanted to burst out laughing but held himself back.

“And,” he said firmly, giving Spock a look. “A substitute Bridge crew has been put together while you and I are on our medical leave.”

Spock’s eyes were searing into his, and he smirked a little...that smug smile that he did when he knew he had his mate in the palm of his hand.

The Vulcan’s eyes darkened, and the next image that came into Kirk’s mind was of the Captain bent over the desk, his lover working him open with his fingers-

“Is this going to take much longer, doctor?” Jim said louder than was strictly necessary...and embarrassingly high pitched.

“Perfect timing,” the doctor said, his voice gentle. “I’ve just finished. One last thing.”

The doctor came to face him, the medical scanner in front of him, his green eyes intent on his work.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, a little worry flitting across his features.

Jim remembered that the first time he had met the older man, he had seemed so paternal...until he had opened his mouth.

Now...

“Your heart rate and adrenaline are abnormally high, Captain...as is your core temperature,” the doctor pulled his hand away, his green eyes meeting Kirk’s. “Are you having any other symptoms that I should know about?”

Kirk shook his head, his hands clasped with Spock’s.

“No, thank you. I’m feeling rather fatigued, and my husband and I need to take our leave.”

“A week was it?” the doctor asked, pulling out his PADD, and scanning it.

“Yes,” Jim said, trying to ignore the way his husband was suggestively caressing his fingers. “And I will be appointing Dr. Usui as the CMO until Dr. McCoy or Dr. M’Benga have returned to duty.”

The kind lines on the older man’s face crinkled slightly when he frowned, but if the doctor had any objections, he kept them to himself.

“As you wish, Captain,” he said gracefully.

“You and Nurse Chapel are to take a rest leave as soon as they return. I’ll be sending all of my other orders to Mr. Hansen.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Dr. Restel said.

He checked over Spock and his wounds with the medical scanner, and when they were both deemed healthy enough to report to their quarters, the two men left, trying not to sprint.

“Are you ready for medical leave, Mr. Spock?” Jim asked, pitching his voice low the way he knew his husband liked it.

Spock’s back was rigid as he walked slightly behind his Captain...and it wasn’t the only thing that was rigid.

“Affirmative, Captain,” he replied, his own voice gravelly.

Kirk quickened his pace.

There was no way they would get to their quarters fast enough.

 

To be continued….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying this!! I was so worried that the work wouldn't be as good since it's been so long...but I'm so passionate about this piece, and I enjoy writing it SO MUCH and I hope you all can feel that when you read it! Feedback is always welcome! Thank you for reading! Stay tuned! Only one chapter to go!

**Author's Note:**

> More to come! Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome!!


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